How Did It Come to This... "Give Me 5000 Won" - The Clumsy Robbery Attempt by a 94-Year-Old with a Cane Hand

Elderly People Exhausted by Poverty and Loneliness
Deliberately Commit Crimes to Be Incarcerated

A 94-year-old man in Japan was arrested by the police after entering a convenience store and attempting to steal 500 yen (about 4,900 won).

The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. Pixabay

Japanese media outlets including FNN reported that early on the 20th, a man identified as A (94) was arrested on suspicion of threatening a clerk and demanding cash at a convenience store in Hokkaido. At around 12:18 a.m. that day, A entered the convenience store and told clerk B, "I came to rob you, give me 500 yen," attempting to take the money but failing. It was confirmed that A entered the store alone, using a cane, and threatened the clerk.

B did not comply with A’s demand and instead called the police. When the police arrived, they checked A’s belongings as he was still standing in front of the cash register. The police found a 6 cm long utility knife in A’s shirt pocket and arrested him on the spot. The blade was wrapped in corrugated cardboard and secured with box tape. No casualties or injuries occurred as a result of this incident.

During police questioning, A stated, "I had no intention to threaten anyone. I just came to borrow money from the convenience store," and claimed, "I don’t remember saying I came to rob." The police did not apply the charge of attempted robbery because A did not display the weapon while demanding money, but he was charged with trespassing, attempted extortion, and violation of the Firearms and Swords Control Law.

Appearance of the Women's Prison in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Photo captured by CNN.

Local netizens speculated that considering A’s advanced age of 94, the clumsy method of the crime, and the small amount involved, he might have deliberately committed the crime to get imprisoned. In January, CNN reported that the number of inmates aged 65 and older in Japanese prisons has increased about fourfold over the past decade. In Japan, a super-aged society, elderly people exhausted by poverty and loneliness are reportedly committing crimes intentionally to enter prison on their own accord. An 81-year-old woman serving time in a women’s prison in Tochigi Prefecture for stealing groceries told CNN, "There are good people in this prison," and added, "This life is probably the most stable life for me." She had previously been imprisoned for a similar crime in her 60s, and her second offense occurred when her pension had run out and the next payment was still two weeks away.

CNN pointed out, "Women incarcerated in Tochigi Prison have to work in the prison factory, but some inmates are satisfied with that life," and noted, "The loneliness problem among elderly Japanese is so serious that some elderly inmates actually prefer being incarcerated." A prison guard said, "There are people who come here because they are cold or hungry," and added, "Some say they want to pay 20,000 to 30,000 yen (about 180,000 to 280,000 won) a month and live here for the rest of their lives."

Inside the prison, inmates receive regular meals as well as free medical and care services. After release, they have to pay their own medical expenses, so some elderly inmates want to stay as long as possible. In fact, as the number of elderly inmates increases, prison guards have reportedly had to take on the role of caregivers. Guard C said, "Now we have to change their diapers, help them bathe, and assist with meals," and added, "The prison now feels more like a nursing home than a prison full of criminals."