Man robbed of bag containing Y42 mil in cash

Wednesday 31st December, 05:53 AM JST

TOKYO —

A 41-year-old man was attacked and robbed of a bag containing 42 million yen in cash by an unknown assailant on a street in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward on Tuesday, police said. The robbery took place near Narimasu Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line around 2:05 p.m. and the man, an employee of a restaurant operator, sustained minor injuries to his face, they said.

Tuesday is the company’s payday and the man was about to enter the company office with the money to pay the employees when he was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance.

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Latest 15 of 16 Total Comments Show All

Ultradude at 08:56 AM JST - 31st December

I'm quite sure they will end the practice of cash in an envelope after this. Most companies do direct deposit.
sensei258 at 10:20 AM JST - 31st December

Sounds like an inside job. Or, the criminal did good surveillance before picking his target.
mikekchar at 11:51 AM JST - 31st December

As they get paid at the same time every month, I'm sure it's easy to predict. I've noticed shop owners near where I live walking down the street with what are obviously bags of cash. People here are really trusting. I guess robberies are rare...
ninjaboy at 12:16 PM JST - 31st December

Must be some bag! A hunched-over man struggling to carry a heavy furoshiki printed in attractive yen signs could have been a bit of a give-away...
bobbafett at 12:39 PM JST - 31st December

the man, an employee of a restaurant operator, sustained minor injuries to his face, they said.

for 42 million I would have a friend punch me a few times and steal my bag too.
Disillusioned at 02:28 PM JST - 31st December

Nice pick up. Someone has done their homework. Any idiot carrying that amount of cash on the same day every month and probably at the same time deserves to learn this lesson. Welcome to the real world!
BBLeo at 05:07 PM JST - 31st December

Ha ha! Someone was aware that boss will bring money on this day. Why not using system to pay direct into the accounts of employees? This is a very old fashioned way, and all very strange and perhaps even stupid. Does he have an insurance, if he does than he won't loose nothing, just a little 'bang' in in head for a while. UPGRADE YOUR PAY SYSTEM TO ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY.
WilliB at 07:13 PM JST - 31st December

That´s amazing. They have a 42 million Yen payroll, and they have never heard of a bank remittance? Wow!
Kookoo at 01:45 AM JST - 1st January

NuckinFutz and the rest should know that Japan is still a cash-based society and you should not be speculating too much when you don't really understand their soceity's cash management or about this 3rd world or that which makes you look stupid, most arogant guys tend to seize the oportunity of being from the Western culture to show some super-smartism... well if you have inhered some of those genes you should not have been here to speculate, the wise guys who tend to be more assertive than being arogant.
nimbus at 04:38 AM JST - 1st January

Most likely an inside job.
knews at 10:09 AM JST - 1st January

I wouldn't be surprised if the cash system is used so that the tax man can be avoided (to some extent). However, if this "victim" really is innocent, then I'm sure he's regretting he tried to save some yen this way.
medievaltimes at 11:30 AM JST - 1st January

That's why I always carry less than 40 million Yen in cash on me.
WilliB at 12:31 PM JST - 1st January

" That's why I always carry less than 40 million Yen in cash on me. "

LOL! Actually, until just a few years ago, you could see exactly that at local stockbrokers here. Some rich obaasan would sell stocks and be handed a huge wad of cash, plus a bag of soap, tissues and assorted stuff. Totally amazing.

By now they all have changed electronic remittance (at least my local one has).
kwatt at 01:48 PM JST - 1st January

In Japan almost all companies used to pay monthly wages in cash to employees. However still some comapanies hand wages out to employees because their customs to do it that way. But today companies should transfer wages to empolyees' accounts to avoid any crimes.
whyamiinjapan at 05:20 PM JST - 1st January

I've seen people walk around with bags of cash and plop them down in the PO. No one with them, no protection. Amazing.