The four Vietnamese defendants confessed to police that they came to Japan to steal goods and then sell them in Vietnam, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun .
According to police, a 38-year-old defendant and three others were arrested on suspicion of stealing 87 items worth 347,130 yen (over 57 million VND) from a UNIQLO store in Fukuoka on September 26, 2023. All four were subsequently charged with theft.
Police have confirmed a total of 66 similar theft cases over the five years since December 2018 across eight prefectures and cities in Japan. A total of 5,237 items, valued at 19.7 million yen (over 3.2 billion VND), are believed to have been stolen. Of the 66 cases, police have referred three to the prosecution.
A UNIQLO store in Tokyo, Japan.
Screenshot from Asahi Shimbun
Fukuoka Prefectural Police believe the four defendants were led by a woman in her 40s living in Vietnam, according to the Asahi Shimbun , citing several sources. The woman provided detailed instructions on social media regarding the size and color of the targeted clothing, and the group of four were brought to Japan and stole so much that they filled their suitcases with stolen goods every day, according to the Asahi Shimbun .
Fukuoka police have obtained an arrest warrant for the woman in question, according to the Asahi Shimbun, citing several sources.
A 25-year-old Vietnamese woman living in Japan and working in a trade-related field told Asahi Shimbun : "There are many discussions online about how much easier theft is in Japan than in Vietnam."
She said she found the relaxed atmosphere at UNIQLO stores in Japan strange, where some cash registers were unmanned and customers could choose items that store employees couldn't see.
According to UNIQLO's website and other sources, the company has 22 stores in Vietnam after opening its first store in Ho Chi Minh City in 2019.
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