Yakuza lieutenant arrested in Tokyo for stealing Pokémon cards – SoraNews24 -Japan News-

The organized crime syndicate’s methods are very similar to those of Team Rocket.

In movies and video games there is often a romanticized, or at least dramatic, view of truth yakuza get their money from. Whether it’s committing bank robberies, stealing diamonds, collecting protection money from swanky bars staffed by sexy hostesses, relieving corrupt businessmen or politicians of their ill-gotten gains, or simply taking down men on the street, the yakuza are generally shown making money with their tough attitude and street smarts, which go beyond the limits of the law, but also beyond the capabilities of timid citizens who are content to walk the straight and narrow path set by civilized society has been mapped out.

But here in the real world, a yakuza lieutenant has just been arrested for a crime that doesn’t amount to much: stealing Pokémon cards.

The Tachikawa District of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced the arrest of Keita Saitoa 39 year old kanbuor officer, within the Takinogawa family of Japan’s second largest organized crime syndicate, the Sumiyoshi-kai. The arrest stems from a burglary that occurred sometime between sunset on December 29, 2022, and sunrise the next day, in which Kuboshita broke into an office in Ogano town in Saitama, the prefecture bordering Tokyo to the north. During the burglary, 29 properties with a total value of approximately 252,000 yen (US$1,625) were stolen. 25 Pokémon cards.

Also arrested in connection with the robbery was 56-year-old Hidefumi Kuboshita, who has no specific job and has not been publicly disclosed as having ties to an organized yakuza syndicate because, according to police, he had a planning and directing role in the robbery. robbery. Kuboshita currently denies the allegations, but Saito has admitted to breaking into the office and stealing the items. Two other men are also wanted in connection with the robbery, who police say were recruited for the job through online messaging.

▼ Kuboshita wears a surprisingly cute T-shirt in which he is arrested, while Saito, with his unassuming demeanor, looks like someone you would expect to see walking into a Pokemon card game tournament.

Although Japan has experienced a surprising increase in collectible card thefts recently, it is still unusual to see a full-fledged yakuza member, and one above the lowest rung of the organization, get busted for this type of crime , prompting online reactions. as:

“So even the yakuza love Pokémon.”
“Instead of catching them all, he got caught.”
“That guy really doesn’t look like a yakuza.”
“Are they sure he’s a member of the yakuza and not Team Rocket?”
“Yakuza chasing Pokémon cards is so boring.”
“Miserable.”
“Does this mean there’s someone in the yakuza whose job it is to grade Pokémon cards?”
“This feels like a school bully going around stealing other kids’ Tamagotchis.”
“If you’re surprised to see the yakuza doing this kind of thing, you’ve been playing too much Like a Dragon.”
“If you consider that the yakuza have connections with gaming stalls at festivals where they cheat children of their pocket money, it is not surprising that they do this.”

Cool factor aside, Pokemon cards are lightweight, fluid (in the sense of ‘easy to convert to cash’) and difficult to trace, all of which will be seen as plus points by potential thieves. Considering that yakuza have shown little hesitation in making money through sexy photoshopping and late-night sea cucumber harvesting (and no, the latter is not a euphemism related to the former), it’s unlikely they’ll see swiping Pokemon cards as a revenue stream beneath their dignity, so card shops and individual collectors may want to reconsider and tighten their security protocols.

Source: TBS News Dig via via Yahoo! Japan News via Jin, Sankei News via Hachima Kiko, YouTube/日テレNEWS, Tweet
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