Is Japan a “Blue Ocean” for Criminals!?… Experts Sound the “Alarm” Over Luxury Watch Theft at Nakano Broadway

The entire crime took only about 10 seconds.

At 9:00 a.m. on August 29, a car emerged from the Nakano Police Station of the Metropolitan Police Department. Seated in the center of the back seat was suspect Boris Alexis Mansano Quesada (33), a Chilean national whose occupation and address are unknown.Although Mansano briefly seemed to squint at the camera flashes for a moment, otherwise he stared straight ahead with a blank expression—.

The incident occurred around 11:50 a.m. on August 25.Luxury watches were stolen in broad daylight from a high-end watch store on the first floor of “Nakano Broadway,” a mecca for subculture located in Nakano Ward, Tokyo. In recent years, the facility has garnered attention from around the world as a “mecca for luxury watches” and has become a tourist attraction.

“The crime reportedly took only about 10 seconds. Two men dressed in dark clothing smashed a display case near the store entrance with a hammer and stole three ‘Richard Mille’ watches and one ‘Patek Philippe’ watch—worth approximately 200 million yen.”There were five store employees inside, but it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The staff reportedly gave chase, but one of the men escaped on a kick scooter parked outside Broadway, while the other fled on foot—each in a different direction,” said a crime reporter for a national newspaper.

It is believed that the men later regrouped and changed their clothes. The kick scooter believed to have been ridden by the suspects, along with clothing thought to have been worn by the men, were reportedly found at a junior high school near the scene.

“A police investigation later revealed that at least one of the suspects boarded a train at JR Nakano Station and fled to Osaka that same day.Subsequently, by the 28th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had swiftly arrested suspect Mansano, who had been in hiding in Osaka City, and Jeremy Paolo Pina-Guzman (23), also a Chilean national, on suspicion of theft,” (ibid.)

At the time of his arrest, Suspect Piña was found in possession of one luxury watch of the same color and model as the stolen ones. He reportedly denied part of the charges, stating, “I stole only one watch; I don’t know anything about the other three.” Suspect Mansano has admitted to the charges, stating, “I intended to sell the watches and send the money back to my home country,” but regarding the remaining three watches, he claimed, “I dropped them while fleeing, ” and the police are continuing their investigation.

“World-Class Crime” Committed by Professionals

Suspect Mansano and his accomplices boarded a flight from Sydney on the 21st and entered Japan via Haneda Airport on a 90-day short-term visa. It has been revealed that on the 23rd, they were scouting out the luxury watch store that was later targeted.Taihei Ogawa, a former detective with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and a crime journalist, analyzes this incident as “a classic hit-and-run crime that has existed for a long time.”

“This incident is clearly different from crimes committed by so-called ‘underground part-timers.’ The perpetrators recruited through such channels are essentially criminal amateurs.In the May 2023 incident where a luxury watch store in Ginza was robbed, the modus operandi involved indiscriminately smashing display cases with crowbars and other tools, then snatching more than 70 watches at random. While the mastermind might conduct a reconnaissance and instruct the perpetrators to ‘target this display case,’ the perpetrators themselves are not knowledgeable about luxury watches.

In contrast, in this case, the perpetrators smashed a display case near the entrance and, in just about 10 seconds, specifically targeted extremely expensive watches worth a total of approximately 200 million yen. This alone is a feat beyond the capabilities of “black-market part-timers,” suggesting that the perpetrators were not amateurs.

“If three of the four stolen watches have not been recovered from the two individuals arrested in this case, it’s possible they’ve already been passed on to a third party. If that’s the case, it’s not certain that there were only two accomplices. It’s also possible that roles were divided among them—such as someone acting as a leader and another person scouting out the crime scene. After all, it’s difficult for one person to handle everything alone.”

He also sounds the alarm, warning that this incident is proof that “world-class crime” carried out by professionals has now reached Japan.

“Overseas, there are actual theft cases straight out of the movies—where thieves break in from neighboring buildings or attics, or dig tunnels from underground to steal works of art. This means that crimes on the same level as those are now beginning to occur in Japan as well.

Consequently, stores must adapt their security measures. However, hiring security guards or installing reinforced glass will increase operating costs, and since Japanese stores place great importance on ‘customer first’ and ‘omotenashi’ (hospitality), they may be reluctant to implement measures such as requiring ID upon entry.

“However, overseas, it is standard practice for stores dealing in luxury goods to maintain strict security. Since criminal methods have reached a global level, Japan’s security measures must also adapt accordingly. If we continue to cling to the mindset that ‘it’s Japan, so we’ll be fine,’ I believe we will remain vulnerable to similar crimes in the future,” said Mr. Ogawa.

Suspect Mansano reportedly stated regarding his impression of the store during his reconnaissance: “I was captivated. Security is strict in Chile, but at the Nakano store, the luxury watches were displayed behind thin glass and close to the entrance—I thought they might be easy to steal.”

For foreign criminals, Japan may be a “blue ocean.”