10 Billion Won Watch Robbery in the Heart of Tokyo... "All Teenagers" Shock Japan

Three Masked Robbers Steal 'Rolex' in Broad Daylight
"Minors Must Be Severely Punished" Reactions

Masked robbers stormed into a luxury watch store in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan, stealing more than 100 watches before fleeing the scene. Local police have arrested the suspects, who are believed to be minors aged between 16 and 19.

According to local media including the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 9th, three masked robbers dressed in black broke into the wristwatch store "Quark Ginza 888" in Ginza, Chuo Ward, Tokyo. The robbers threatened a store clerk in his 30s guarding the shop with a knife, saying, "Get down. We will kill you."

[Image source=YouTube channel TBS NEWS DIG]

After overpowering the clerk, the suspects used a prepared metal lever to break display cases and stole luxury brand watches such as Rolex. They then fled in a van parked in front of the store. The total value of the watches stolen during the approximately 10-minute robbery is reported to be around 100 million yen (about 980 million won). Fortunately, there were no customers in the store at the time, and none of the five employees were injured.

Local police pursuing the suspects announced that they have arrested four people, including the three masked robbers. However, the police believe the gang consists of five members and are still searching for the whereabouts of the remaining suspect. It is reported that the robbery gang is composed entirely of minors: a 16-year-old unemployed person, an 18-year-old high school student, a 19-year-old with unknown occupation, and a 19-year-old part-timer.

A video taken by a witness at the crime scene shows the suspects aggressively stuffing wristwatches into black bags. It is also reported that they threatened a woman who closed the store door to prevent their escape, saying, "We will kill you."

Japanese netizens have expressed outrage upon hearing the news. They commented, "Watching the video feels like watching a foreign movie. Even minors should be severely punished," "If such incidents are lightly punished, similar crimes will frequently occur in the future," and "The robbers act as if they are not afraid of being caught," among various reactions.

Meanwhile, the police are investigating how the four arrested individuals know each other and the detailed circumstances of the incident.