Ueno 400 Million Yen Robbery: Man Who Played the Driver Claims “I Didn’t Receive a Single Yen in Payment,” Yet Splurged After the Incident

“It was just some ordinary guy showing off”

The trial of defendant Jinru Kano (21 at the time of arrest), who is charged with theft for, among other things, snatching suitcases containing a total of approximately 423 million yen in cash on a street in Ueno, Tokyo, began on September 14 at the Tokyo District Court.

“Defendant Kano, in collusion with his accomplices, snatched three suitcases containing a total of approximately 423 million yen in cash from a man on a street in Ueno around 9:30 p.m. on January 29 and fled. The man who carried out the robbery assaulted the victim by spraying something resembling a spray can onto his face.Defendant Kano, who participated in the incident as the driver, is said to be a senior member of a Yamaguchi-gumi-affiliated organized crime group, and his father is the boss of a group affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi’s Kodo-kai faction.

Koike Tsuneji (47 at the time of arrest), an acquaintance of defendant Kano who served as the mastermind and was indicted on theft charges, and a total of seven others have been arrested, but it is believed that some accomplices are still at large,” said a crime reporter for a national newspaper.

On that day, defendant Kano appeared in court wearing a gray suit without a tie. Although not tall, he had a stocky build reminiscent of a small-statured sumo wrestler, and his gaze was sharp from behind his silver-rimmed glasses.

Prior to the defendant’s questioning, Kano’s uncle appeared in court as a witness. When asked by the defense attorney, “What did you think when you heard about this news coverage?” he replied as follows.

“I was surprised, and I was angry because I thought he was living a quiet life. Jin (Defendant Kano) is kind at heart, and I think he’s basically a serious person.”

He stated that he would “support him” after his release from prison and continued:

“Since his biological father is a yakuza, he wants to cut ties with him. I intend to take care of him myself. My restaurant went bankrupt, but I used to run one, so I plan to have him help me out. I want him to live as an honest citizen. If he ever does anything wrong again, I may not be able to forgive him, but I’ll stop him—even if I have to use force.”

The prosecution asked about her uncle’s background. She explained that he, too, had belonged to a criminal organization in the past and had a criminal record, stating, “He left the organization at age 33 and has been a law-abiding citizen for over 20 years. After serving his sentence, he worked at a nursing facility, and he’s currently a taxi driver.”

Regarding reports that defendant Kano was described as a yakuza executive at the time of his arrest, he stated , “The media probably wants to define me that way, but I’ve never even taken the initiation cup. (This incident) was just an ordinary person acting tough.”

When the presiding judge expressed concern that his restaurant business had gone bankrupt,

“I’m planning to start a new restaurant business. I’m saving money while working as a taxi driver for that purpose,”

, bringing his testimony to a close.

Purchased luxury watches and a luxury minivan after the incident

Next, the defendant was called to the stand. When asked by his defense attorney to explain the incident, Defendant Kano stated,

“I was instructed by two unidentified superiors (A and B) and participated as the driver,”

A and B are believed to be accomplices who have not yet been arrested.

Last November, A approached him, saying, “There’s a group transporting a large sum of money in Ueno. Since it’s money that can’t be made public, even if you steal it, they won’t file a police report. So you won’t face any consequences.” However, Kano—who had been convicted in 2024 of aiding and abetting the distribution of illegal drugs and was currently on probation—replied,

“Since I was on probation, I thought it wasn’t the time to be getting involved in something like that, so I turned it down,”

and initially turned down the offer.

However, on January 29—the day of the incident—Defendant Koike asked him , “You don’t have to go to the scene. Just provide the car. It’s theft, not robbery, so no one will get hurt,” and he ended up agreeing. The reason, he said, was that “Defendant Koike was an acquaintance of my father’s, and we’ve known each other since we were children.”

Defendant Kano drove Defendant Koike and the three perpetrators in an Alphard and dropped them off near the crime scene. The four then used a different car (a “Suzuki Alto”) to carry out the crime.

Defendant Kano claimed, “My role was just to drive them near the scene, ” but in reality, he waited in a convenience store parking lot, then loaded Defendant Koike—who had finished the crime—and a suitcase into the Alphard, and drove to Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures.

When asked why he waited in the convenience store parking lot, Defendant Kano replied, “I had finished my part, but I was worried about Mr. Koike.”

“The Alto (which Defendant Koike was driving) was swerving all over the road, so I thought, ‘Something must have happened.’ Mr. Koike told me to ‘follow him,’ and I ended up having to pick up (Defendant Koike and the other perpetrators). But I didn’t receive a single yen in payment.”

After making this claim, defendant Kano declared the following:

“I’m cutting ties with my father. I’m going to lead an honest life with my mother (from whom I’m divorced) and my uncle. I wasn’t a yakuza member, yet I was reported on as one. I don’t want anything to do with them until my father quits the yakuza. Being seen as a yakuza member causes problems, and I don’t want to be labeled that way.”

The prosecution asked about two unidentified high-ranking members (A and B). “Can’t you reveal their names?” they pressed, but

“Since it hasn’t been clearly established that they are at fault in this case, I cannot reveal their names,”

Defendant Kano refused to disclose any further information.

The prosecution pointed out that nearly all of the approximately 423 million yen in damages had been dissipated, condemning the act as “a premeditated and organized crime committed by a gang. The defendants have strong ties to the organization, and the likelihood of their circumstances improving is slim.” They sought an eight-year prison sentence.

“It has been revealed that after the incident, defendant Kano purchased a luxury watch worth about 2 million yen and a luxury minivan worth about 10 million yen. Defendant Koike also purchased a car worth about 3 million yen,” said a reporter from the social affairs section of a national newspaper.

Given this, it’s hard to take her declaration of severing ties with her father at face value… The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on October 5.