crime

Tokyo woman haggles mugger down to Y1,000

30 Comments

At about 6 a.m. on Dec 26, a young woman was walking down a street in Nakano, Tokyo. Suddenly, she was confronted by a man brandishing a knife and threatening, “Get out all your money and nothing will happen.”

The woman in her 20s complied and passed over 3,000 yen. But that wasn't the end of it.

It’s uncertain if what follows was just a reflex action by the victim. Perhaps she had enough ice water pumping through her veins to keep her wits about her in this situation. Either way, according to media reports, this is the conversation that followed the mugging.

Woman: “Um, could you give back 2,000 yen? I have a bill to pay.”

Mugger: “Oh, really? I see.”

He then promptly gave back the 2,000 yen she asked for and made off with only 1,000 yen.

Internet commenters reacted saying, “Hahaha! I probably wouldn’t have reported him if it was me” and “He’s probably a nice guy deep down.” Others disagreed saying, “If he was such a good guy, then he wouldn’t have tried mugging people in the first place.”

However, Tokyo Metropolitan Police are not treating him as a good guy in a funny situation and are trying to track the suspect down for armed robbery. The suspect is a male in his 20s or 30s, about 175cm tall and was wearing a black jacket and blue knit cap. Police believe him to be armed, dangerous, and open to negotiation.

Source: TV Asahi News

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Kanagawa Home of Back to Back Kinky Criminal Mischief -- Man walks 1,400km home after getting mugged on the other end of Japan -- Man photographed robbing ramen shop at knife point

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30 Comments
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"Who knows , the guy probably needed the money. He's obviously not all bad. When you have bills to pay you have bills to pay."

LOL! That's what I'll say when I rob the local 7-11. "Hey, I got bills to pay!"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Who knows , the guy probably needed the money. He's obviously not all bad. When you have bills to pay you have bills to pay.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

That's pretty good. But I don't think I'll be trying this in NYC.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Had it not been for the knife,, then just a "moushiwakearimasen" would have been good enuff for me.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Best story of the year so far.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

All Japanese people never haggle with with other Japanese people. This story must be wrong, or perhaps involves a foreign-looking person or ex-Yakuza member.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

I walk away from this story with two feelings. 1) she totally made it up and 2) what a complete fool. Two thousand yen is not worth speaking any sort of protest about money to a man with a knife in hand. I cannot even imagine uttering a single word of protest over 10, 000 yen. Or more. I might say something about 60,000 yen, but it would not be much. Maybe just ask to have some cab fare.

I hope nobody reading this story decides to be such a fool if mugged. Forget the money. Use all your wits to concentrate on survival, things like sizing up the mugger for being the "money-and-your-life" type dude.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

His lawyer could negotiate his sentence down from 2 years to six months.

Or down from six months to two years.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

...and that kids, is how I met your mother.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

maybe they said yoroshiku onegaishimasu to each other after the negotiation

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They are so shy they cannot beg for money but they can assault or rob people for it.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I think I saw that in a movie.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Not sure about the "ice water pumping through her veins" part of the article, but I'm glad she had the gall to ask the man for 2000 back, and glad she got it without being injured. As to anyone suggesting this is a nice guy, I suggest you get your head checked. Polite? maybe. Nice? no one who mugs someone is nice.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

His lawyer could negotiate his sentence down from 2 years to six months.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Almost comedy worthy!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I negotiated with some muggers in Jakarta once. I don't think they were being nice - they were just weighing whether they should settle for an easy score or take a bigger risk by getting violent. (It was an area where noise would have attracted attention.)

0 ( +1 / -1 )

something like this happened to a couple of German friends while I was living in Brazil. They went down on the beach at Rio de Janeiro after dark (no better way to say "I'm a tourist; rob me!) and were promptly accosted by a group of young guys demanding money. They panicked and fumbled for their wallets, handing over wads of cash, but the muggers stopped them, took just a couple of bills and explained they were "just hungry." They then disappeared after explaining that the beach at night was no place for non-locals....

3 ( +4 / -1 )

She should have said she was going to the local shrine to pray for lost souls and for people like him.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

"She should have asked for 5,000 yen back"

Hee hee!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wow. If only I could be so lucky in a mugging. I'm liable to get knifed whether I hand the money over or not. Hell, where I live, I'm liable to get knifed just for speaking English. Still, I never thought I'd see an article about a woman getting 2,000 Yen back from a mugger, simply by asking for it. Only in Japan I think. I doubt that would happen anywhere else.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Police believe him to be armed, dangerous, and open to negotiation.

lol

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Only in Japan...

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

It is not simply because of polite culture. The point here is the Young Woman asking for some money. This is the Cultural piece that runs all Shobai business in Japan; hostesses taking money from men through talking to them; this is how sales go up with men enjoying a little conversation with the lady clerk, .... The next cultural "pointo" (as Japanese say it) is "cashback" customs after a deal is made :-)

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

The suspect is a male in his 20s or 30s, about 175cm tall and was wearing a black jacket and blue knit cap.

Except perhaps for the color of the cap, that's the description of 80% of the criminals in Japan.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

looooool! My sides are hurting!XD

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I wonder if they bowed and thanked each other after the transaction.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

She should have asked for 5000 yen back.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Only in a culture as polite as Japan.. would a mugger have enough respect sympathy for the victim to honor her request... and good for her to have such nerve... people should be given opportunity also to get out of the city and work honestly on a farm where it is hard work but labor is needed.. and people can find their self respect by giving to others and caring for the land.. for the land is the people.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Too funny!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Well, at least he seems to be OPEN TO NEGOTIATIONS?? Only in Japan?? WOW!! Viva Japon!! Try barganing with some crack head drug addict back in California, New York etc..and you will be lucky if they do not shoot you dead!!

3 ( +8 / -5 )

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