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Two men and a woman robbed a 20-year-old man who was sleeping on a park bench in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, early Sunday morning.
Police said the incident occurred at around 12:20 a.m., Sankei Shimbun reported. The victim, a company employee, told police that he had missed the last train and was lying on a park bench when he was approached by the trio.
He said they pulled him up off the bench and asked if he had any money. One of the men threatened him with a knife and cut his jacket. The victim handed over 20,000 yen in cash and his credit cards and the trio ran away.
Police said they are examining street surveillance camera footage taken in the area to try and identify the two men and woman.
© Japan Today
30 Comments
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Speed
A lot of crime action in Osaka these last couple of days!
Stephen Chin
To add to my comment yesterday, I would like to say that the two men and woman who threatened and robbed a young man sleeping on a park bench of 20,000 yen when caught, should each be sentenced to 20 years in prison, one year for each year of the victim's age and, to pay the victim 20,000 yen each.
tamanegi
Been a lot of crime down Sakai way the past few years.
Mocheake
All of the Japanese people I know will just say something like "Osaka is dangerous,'' as if it isn't even in the same country.
albaleo
Really? I can't find 1987 data, but in 1986 there were 1,676 homicides, 1,949 robberies, 10,808 assaults, and 21,171 other crimes involving bodily injuries.
https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/110081NCJRS.pdf
Chico3
For those who don’t know their geography, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in a park, drunk, at night…what could possibly happen? Like Minami-Kyushu, it is not the smartest idea.
Not every part of Sakai is that way.
Chico3
Wow! Very sad for the victim. Sorry to say this but what was he doing carrying that much money. That’s a lot of money. Sakai is a big place with many parks. Which one?
commanteer
Yes. In Minami-Kyushu a grazing cow might step on you. Very dangerous.
Rodney
For those who don’t know their geography, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in a park, drunk, at night…what could possibly happen? Like Minami-Kyushu, it is not the smartest idea.
japan is very safe, just don’t do stupid things.
Yubaru
Please back this up with some facts and not conjecture!
Yubaru
Cherry picked what I wrote to advance your agenda!
I actually wrote this, so I guess it's safe to assume you see things here with "rose colored glasses"
finally rich
I'd have to disagree with that.
There is nothing as scary to the japanese (criminals included) than "unpredictable" foreigners, so my bets are even if this group saw a foreigner sleeping on a bench they'd just leave it alone. Japan is extra safe for us because we actually scare criminals away, being unfairly detained is a fate way scarier than anything bad that could happen to a foreigner in Japan.
Garthgoyle
No one ever said Japan is crime free. And yes, Japan's still a very safe country compared to others.
I went back to visit my parents this summer and in the month I was there I saw to different shootings from car to car.
japancat
And the moral of the story is.........DONT miss the last train ! or learn Kung -fu.
kurisupisu
Sakai used to be quite wealthy but due to the loss of manufacturing around the area it isn’t so well off now…
Sven Asai
Lucky boy, in many other parts of the new reality Western world they would have tried to kill him with the knife and at least hurt life-threatening and then when someone else called the ambulance car they would have called another dozens of their family clan members and beaten the callers, the ambulance team and then blocked the road so that no one will make it in time to the hospital. So yes, it’s also here already not so crime-free than before, but still such a case like this is quite an outstanding violent one and very rare in comparison.
Hercolobus
No taxis? I missed my train and paid a taxi but saved myself trouble. Otherwise, plan wisely.
Disillusioned
He should have gone to a karaoke bar instead of sleepig in the park. ¥1000-¥1500 all night with 'free time'. The cheapest hotel in Japan.
Michael Machida
I thought this article was about another country so I am surprised and appalled that this kind of violence with the use of a knife was applied to steal funds from a peaceful victim right here in Japan. Terrible news. Just awful to read about this.
Mark
Must have been too tired or drunk to go find a place to sleep and crashed at a park bench, sad and disgusting to see what happened to him they can't do anything with his cards unless they are total STUPID! , as for cash!? well they will use it but that's about it. Looking forward for the update of them being captured soon. Good Luck.
Eastman
just use common sense as there is always some kind of business or capsule hotel nearby,I am sure guy have some kind of smartphone so its not big science to find one and go and sleep there.even could use taxi as emergency thing if there was no hotela available nearby.but possibly guy was too drunk so prefered 2man rest in park...
dbsaiya
20,000 yen could have bought him a night at a capsule hotel.
baroque1888
It is a total shock that this kind of street crime could occur in Japan. My understanding is that Japan along with neighboring Taiwan is one of the safest if not the safest countries in the world. Agree with Stephen Chin that the trio should be subject to the full consequence(s) accordingly.
If we go back to 1987, this kind of incident was almost unheard of if not unheard of in 1987. Something needs to change so this does not get worse. Hopefully, something can occur so it we go back to the way it was in 1987,
602miko
He should take a taxi for that nimang yen. scary when we missed the last train.
Yubaru
But Japan is so safe, so crime free! Said only by those who live with rose colored glasses!
While Japan may have less violent crime, it is far from "crime free", and people coming here need to keep their wits about themselves. Seems like Japanese need to as well!
Stephen Chin
How low down. How despicable. How cowardly. How utterly shameful. When caught, the two men and woman should each be sentenced for 20 years in prison. One year for each year of the young victim's age. ..