77-year-old woman arrested for shoplifting from supermarket

This is really sad. I would love to pay her bill, and buy her some groceries.

Two major human error made. The first by the guard by not turning a blind eye. The second by the Police by not paying for the food when told she had no money knew it was wrong but needed food. Face palm.

Wow, so sad. If I were in Japan, I would have paid for her food.

Agree they shouldn't be working in the 80s so the problem is the poor pension system in place.

Getting old is something everybody will do unless they literally die young. Some people seem to do nothing to prepare for this fact. The amount of pension to be received has never been a secret. And yes, I know things can happen, but this is not the case for many who simply refuse to invest for their old age.

What do you think those old guys with the red flashlights directing traffic into/out of parking lots or waving cars around street construction sites are doing?

I do see that but I was not sure if they are really struggling to live. Maybe just some supplementary income to make living a bit easier. What I have ascertained is the pension the elderly receive is really low. Agree they shouldn't be working in the 80s so the problem is the poor pension system in place.

 Pension is really low here in Japan, prices had increased a lot, elderly people are suffering. 

As I thought.

@Rodney, you should have said something to a security guard about that mother forcing her child to steal, and photographed it in the process. What do you think that little girl is going to grow up to become?

…let me just steal your other belongings… as I desperately need them for my own survival. Deal?

Deal.

If it’s true….

Hopefully she'll be place on some type of welfare program that will supply her with food and have all the charges dismissed. Stealing food because you're hungry is not a crime its survival ....

You must be joking. Where in the law does it say that it's ok to steal if it's for survival? So you essentially condone stealing someone else's property huh. Then, please allow me to help myself to some free food from your fridge, or let me just steal your other belongings like clothes and shoes while I'm at it as I desperately need them for my own survival. Deal?

While I feel very sorry for this woman, we musn't immediately assume without knowing the details that she was so malnourished and povery-stricken that she need to shoplift in order to survive. She may have thought that it would save time and be less of a hassle simply to walk away with the food than to join the long queue at the cash register. Maybe she couldn't understand how to use one of these new self-checkout stations. Anyway the biggest question is, why is this even national headline news?

Very sad case. Pension is really low here in Japan, prices had increased a lot, elderly people are suffering. I used to see tons of good food sent to waste on a daily basis in a bentoya factory, for sure could be safely donated to people in need instead of going to garbage. Convenience stores and supermarkets also send to trash lots of food that could be safely donated to charity.

I hope she can get help soon..

Again, if a 77-year-old woman arrested for shoplifting from supermarket is national news, it shows a thousand times that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world...

Doesn’t even make any sense to employ a security guard, to call police and making all that effort that only increases costs for the supermarket and the society, because all those food losses, damaged food, thrown away food due to validation date and like in this case the thefts are all priced in already and paid beforehand by consumers or otherwise covered by an insurance and then also that paid by consumers and other insurance customers. Better make peace and less stress for yourself, for others and also for that hungry old woman. Well, I can now already hear it, ‘’If everyone would do that…’, but that again is all our fault in society, allowing such a big spread of maximum wealth vs. people who can’t even afford to buy a meal.

Three goals - A lot of the elderly in Japan are doing it really tough. They should be encouraged to go out a get a part time job to make ends meet. 

What do you think those old guys with the red flashlights directing traffic into/out of parking lots or waving cars around street construction sites are doing?

I had a poor old lady help me at a conbini the other day. Her frail hands shaking while trying to put a sticker on a package I was sending. It was so sad to see.

These people shouldn't have to work into their 70's or 80's to make ends meet. Or even their 60's. People work hard all their lives. They deserve to finally rest and enjoy their last couple of decades. Of course, if they want to work to satisfy an emotional need, that should be up to them. But, they shouldn't need to.

A lot of the elderly in Japan are doing it really tough. They should be encouraged to go out a get a part time job to make ends meet. I heard the pension they receive is quite poor compared to Australia, US and Europe.

I talked to a store detective once and she told me 99% of the time it is old people.

there is however, a young mother who gets her young, maybe 6 or 7 year old daughter to steal stuff at my local supermarket. Seen her do it twice, but I think she is a solo parent as I see her around sometimes, so I haven’t told the staff.

Very sad situation, there should be some kind of easily accessible support system for people to use when that desperate, or even better society should work harder to make it unnecessary.

This is present Japan.

LDP government are crazy for benefiting large corporations and expanding armament, they do nothing to poverty that continue to spread into society.

And, LDP government makes different generations conflict around insufficient social security.

Instead of affordable housing and a basic income, going to prison is becoming the last resort for the cold, desperate and hungry of Japan.

Unfortunately so, especially during the winter holidays. I once read that an old guy wanted to go to prison after being caught shoplifting because he knew he could have osechi and hot meals there. Yes, that is sad on many levels.

I’ve witnessed this a few times in supermarkets. I saw one old lady taking strawberries out of punnets and sticking them in the pocket of her coat. It’s a result of the complete failure of the Japanese pension scam. Once it runs out they are on their own. Tens of thousands of retirees are desperate and it should be no surprise many are stealing food to survive.

1236 yen and you need to call the police? I guess she was charged and detained if this is the top crime story of the day.

I wonder how many police officers went to the supermarket to arrest her. My guess is about five. I am sure there was something more useful the could have been doing, but they always seem to prefer the easy jobs.

I remember reading a story probably in Japantoday a few years ago about a gaijin teacher who was arrested for shoplifting in a supermarket. She lost her job and suffered other indignities. In the end it turned out she was innocent but had been grabbed by a security guard who had a quota to meet.

The homeless in Fresco are walking into supermarkets and stores and getting FREE unsold or leftover meals after 8pm when many supermarkets are giving away their UNSOLD Obento like meals, try this Japan .

For Heavens Sake LET HER GO, she wouldn't be doing this if she got the money. at her age and her situation what would anyone with the right state of mind think that she is doing other than trying to survive, and too embarrassed to beg

1/ This happened on Thursday. JT decides to publish on Saturday morning. Slow news day?

2/ If the headline read 'Police Help Hungry Woman Who Made A Mistake', my faith in Japan's NPA would've been partially restored.

No soup kitchens in Japan?

I feel bad for her. Trying to survive at a old age is extremely hard. Hope the authority contact the necessary people to help her out if she need food.

Some old lonely men and women need attention for doing such things. So their family will go and pick them up then at the police station

Hopefully she'll be place on some type of welfare program that will supply her with food and have all the charges dismissed. Stealing food because you're hungry is not a crime its survival ....

Saw once the police arresting an old woman because she had stolen a single beer from a supermarket. It was a saaaad thing to see.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 1:20 p.m. Thursday. Hokkaido Hoso reported that the woman put boiled eggs, onigiri, sweet rice dumplings and other items, worth about 1,236 yen, in a shopping cart and bypassed the cash register.

Menace to society there. While the Olympic thieves and police chief rapists roam free.

Instead of affordable housing and a basic income, going to prison is becoming the last resort for the cold, desperate and hungry of Japan.

No she won’t she will be let off with a warning

she knew what she was doing was wrong but said she needed the food.

Now she'll live using taxpayer money.