Ex-Mitsubishi UFJ Employee Yukari Imamura’s Safe Deposit Box Theft and Local Suspicions

Had incurred a 1 billion yen loss in FX trading.

On January 14, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee Yukari Imamura (46) for stealing 19.5 kg of gold bars (worth approximately 260 million yen) from a customer’s safe deposit box. In addition to the charges related to this arrest, Imamura is also suspected of having stolen cash and precious metals from customers’ safe deposit boxes at the Nerima and Tamagawa branches, where she worked, over a period of four and a half years from April 2020 to October 2024.

“In September last year, while working at the Mitsubishi UFJ Bank Nerima branch, she illegally accessed two customers’ safe deposit boxes and stole gold bars. The stolen gold had already been pawned at a total of seven pawnshops in Tokyo and Chiba. Imamura has reportedly admitted to the charges. There are also numerous other offenses, with over 60 victims and total damages estimated to exceed 1.5 billion yen.

Imamura was in charge of managing spare keys for the safe deposit boxes stored at the bank and used them to carry out the thefts. When the disappearance of cash from a box was about to be discovered, she covered it up by taking money from another deposit box. If a customer unexpectedly visited the bank, she would pretend there was a malfunction to turn them away. Due to her elaborate cover-up tactics, her crimes went undetected for four and a half years,” said a journalist from a national newspaper’s social affairs department.

It is believed that Imamura spent most of the proceeds from her thefts on FX trading and horse racing. According to investigators, “She spent a considerable amount on FX and horse racing for over five years. Based on current findings, her FX losses alone exceed 1 billion yen.”

To compensate for her enormous losses, Imamura repeatedly committed theft. However, her lifestyle did not reflect someone burdened with billions in debt.

When a FRIDAY Digital reporter visited Imamura’s residence, not only was her main house impressive, but the large adjacent pay-by-the-month parking lot also stood out. The combined property spans over 860 square meters, with an estimated value exceeding 400 million yen.

Until her dismissal in November last year, Imamura held the position of deputy branch manager in the sales department. Additionally, she earned approximately 300,000 to 400,000 yen per month in rental income from the parking lot, and she was known in the neighborhood as a small-scale wealthy individual.

Used the back entrance to enter his home as well.

A local resident who used Imamura’s pay-by-the-month parking lot shared their experience:

“At the end of last month, when I went to pay the rent, Imamura herself handled it. She seemed normal and was in good spirits. She even said, ‘Looking forward to next year as well.’ As far as I know, she doesn’t have children and lived with her husband and father-in-law. Her father-in-law also used to work at a bank, and their family built a rather impressive house in this area and managed the parking lot. They gave the impression of being a wealthy household.”

Another neighbor mentioned, “The couple got along well. They seemed like a cheerful family.” However, in an interview published in the January 9 issue of Shukan Bunshun, Imamura’s husband reportedly stated, “We are divorced, so I have nothing to do with this.” It appears that the incident may have led to changes in the family.

“So far, there’s no confirmed information that Imamura is actually divorced. ‘Imamura’ is her husband’s surname, and her maiden name is different. It’s possible that her husband, fearing the impact on his own connections, panicked and impulsively claimed they were divorced when speaking to the magazine. Imamura also used her maiden name at the bank, but not because of any marital issues—just to avoid the hassle of changing names,” said an investigator.

The day after her arrest, lights were still on at Imamura’s home. However, when reporters rang the doorbell to speak with her family, there was no response.

Another resident had noticed unusual changes in Imamura’s behavior.

“Around last October, she suddenly stopped appearing in public. She used to leave the house at a set time in the morning, presumably for work, but that changed. When I saw her after the New Year, she seemed very conscious of people watching her. She avoided using the front door and instead sneaked in through the back gate. Before, she was always bright and greeted people when we passed by, so her arrest was truly shocking.”

Despite having a higher-than-average income, Imamura was consumed by investments and gambling, ultimately resorting to stealing customers’ money. Investigations continue to uncover the full extent of this massive theft case, which has severely damaged trust in megabank.