Robbery Suspect Says “I Couldn’t Refuse” Due to Fear and Financial Struggles

A series of heinous robbery incidents continue unabated.

Since August, there have been at least 17 robbery cases, primarily in the Tokyo metropolitan area (as of October 20). Victims have been mercilessly beaten, with cash and luxury items stolen from them.

“On October 16, the body of a 75-year-old man was discovered at his home in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He had bruises all over his body, with many wounds suggesting he had been struck with a blunt object. His hands and feet were bound with adhesive tape, and his mouth was also covered. The cause of death was massive blood loss. Cash amounting to 200,000 yen was stolen, and there were multiple footprints suggesting that the intruders had entered the premises with their shoes on.” (a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs department).

This string of incidents is believed to involve perpetrators recruited through illegal job postings. Lured by the promise of high rewards, they became accomplices in the robberies. They were reportedly intimidated and controlled through fear by their ringleaders. The confession of suspect Rikiya Morita (24), who was arrested on October 7 by the Saitama Prefectural Police on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury and breaking and entering, reveals the grim reality faced by those who became involved in these crimes.

Hit them hard enough to kill them.

“The incident involving the suspect Morita occurred in the early hours of October 1. Morita and his accomplices broke into a home in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, by smashing a back window. They bound an elderly couple in their 80s with duct tape and threatened them, saying things like ‘Hurry up and give us the money.’ They then slashed them with a knife and fled with 80,000 yen in cash.

Four perpetrators, including Morita, were involved in the crime, and it seems they did not know each other beforehand. The fact that the perpetrators were unfamiliar with one another is characteristic of the shadowy dark part-time robbery scene. In another incident, five perpetrators met for the first time at a family restaurant in Tokyo before driving to the crime scene. When one of them was caught, he told the police, ‘I don’t know the others, but they are my associates.’”

Our magazine’s cameraman captured Morita’s face during his transfer on October 9. He sat defiantly in the back seat of the transport vehicle but seemed to be putting on a show of bravado.

It has been revealed that Morita was also involved in an incident that occurred on September 30 in Kokubunji, Tokyo. His method of operation was cunning. He obtained customer information from a renovation contractor to understand the family structure and asset situation of his target’s home. It seems he had devised a detailed plan beforehand.

“Morita stated, ‘I went to Tokorozawa under the agreement to receive a reward.’ It seems he received several hundred thousand yen as payment for the Kokubunji incident. He also told the police, ‘I did it because I was barely making ends meet and needed the money,’ and ‘I was instructed to commit robbery in Tokorozawa and couldn’t refuse.’ Although Morita initially went to Tokorozawa just to collect his payment, he was directed to carry out a different crime on-site.

The perpetrators are unable to refuse orders because they are controlled by fear from their instructing parties. When they apply for these shadowy jobs, they are often required to send images of their ID with their face visible and disclose their family structure. The instructing parties demand things like, ‘Hit them hard enough to kill them’ and ‘Beat them up and take what you can.’ If they hesitate or refuse, they are threatened with statements like, ‘You’ll face severe consequences’ and ‘Are you okay with harm coming to your family?’ Some perpetrators have even reported being told, ‘There are (anti-social) organizations behind this. Be prepared.'”

After the Tokorozawa incident, Morita transferred taxis to escape, taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture. Later, he was apprehended by the police in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture. Some perpetrators were threatened by their instructors not to run away, leading to a desperate and fear-filled escape.