Exclusive: Victim of Cash Theft by Haneda Airport Security Inspector Reveals Astonishing Excuse and Frustration with Response

Over 70 Crimes Committed in Less Than a Month

“I looked at my tray and exclaimed, ‘Huh? The money’s gone!?’ The cash I had placed on the left side of my backpack was completely missing. The young security officer responsible for the luggage check had been acting strangely from the start, but I never imagined he had actually stolen it”

This is the account of a man in his 30s, the victim of an unprecedented theft incident. The crime occurred on September 13th at Haneda Airport, Japan’s primary international gateway. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Airport Division arrested 21-year-old security officer Ryuu Matsumoto, who was responsible for conducting passenger baggage checks, on September 15th on suspicion of stealing 90,000 yen from a passenger.

“After Matsumoto stole the money, he moved to a restroom stall. He reportedly took a roll of toilet paper and hid the cash inside the cardboard tube. In just a little over a month, starting in August, he committed around 70 to 80 thefts and confessed to stealing a total of approximately 1.5 million yen.” (A reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs department)

Airport baggage checks are, of course, conducted to ensure the safety and security of passengers. It was shocking to discover that a security officer tasked with this responsibility had been regularly stealing passengers’ cash from their trays.

Our magazine was able to interview the male victim in his 30s and gather details of the incident. The quote at the beginning is part of his account. Below is a summary of the exchange between the suspect and the victim during the incident (unless otherwise stated, the following quotes are from the victim):

“My flight was on September 13th, JAL Flight 333, departing from Haneda at 7:15 PM, heading to Fukuoka. I placed my backpack, mobile phone, and 100,000 yen—taken out from the left pocket of my pants—on the left side of my backpack in the tray for security check. The 100,000 yen had been handed to me by my boss just before, with the words, ‘Go relax and have some drinks and food tonight.’

But when I came out from the metal detector, the 100,000 yen I had placed in the tray was gone. The security staff gathered and helped search, but it couldn’t be found. I asked them to check the surveillance cameras, but to my surprise, they told me, ‘There’s no camera at that angle.'”

Why Didn’t the Company Notice the Crime?

After waiting for several minutes, the money still hadn’t been found.

“I got frustrated and asked to speak directly with the young security officer who had conducted the baggage check. Later, I learned his name was Matsumoto. When I asked him, ‘You saw me place the 100,000 yen on the tray, right?’, he quietly acknowledged, ‘Yes, I saw it.’ I then asked, ‘Could it be that you took it?’, but he kept denying it, saying, ‘I didn’t take it.’ To further dismiss my suspicions, he even showed me the chest pocket of his shirt under his uniform and insisted, ‘I didn’t take it.’ It felt a bit unnatural.

The security officer’s supervisor arrived and started checking the tray’s monitoring screen, but suddenly exclaimed, ‘Whoa!!’ His expression stiffened. Immediately afterward, the police officers took Matsumoto to a separate room. After that, the supervisor told me, ‘We will contact you later.'”

The victim was held up for 25 minutes in total. He went on to Fukuoka that day, but that night, he received a phone call from the Tokyo Airport Police saying, “The security officer who conducted the check took it.”

“The airport security is outsourced to a private company, and I received a text message from them saying, ‘We’d like to apologize.’ While I appreciated the apology, what shocked me more was that Matsumoto had repeatedly committed the thefts many times and the company hadn’t noticed it. What is the company’s management system like? Of course, I also believe Haneda Airport shares some responsibility.

The reported amount of the theft was 90,000 yen, but I am certain I placed 100,000 yen. Where did the remaining 10,000 yen go? I want that properly investigated.”

The man filed a damage report with the Tokyo Airport Police Station on the 16th. “I want a thorough investigation, including any other possible crimes. If that doesn’t happen, my anger won’t subside,” he says, still seething with frustration. The full truth of the incident is still to be uncovered, and questions are being raised about the fundamental overhaul needed in airport security and management systems to protect passengers’ safety and security.