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"I suppose I must have broken into several hundred houses altogether. The last time, I felt like the house was calling out to me, as if saying, 'It's safe, now, come on in...'"
Career second-story man Hajime Karasuyama (a nom de plume) is telling Shukan Taishu (Dec 6) about his just-published autobiographical work -- "Shokugyo, Dorobo: Nenshu Sanzenman-en" (Occupation, thief: annual income, 30 million yen) -- which hit bookstores in mid-November. The book sports a humorous subtitle that reads "Kesshite mane wo shinai de kudasai" (Please don't attempt to imitate me).
"You know how a veteran male AV performer is familiar with female erogenous zones?" Karasuyama flippantly boasts. "Well it's the same way with thieves. Once we get inside a house, we have an instinct for knowing where the money's squirreled away."
The magazine comments that Karasuyama's book gives insights into the mind of a thief that the average person seldom if ever dwells upon.
Karasuyama says he once hired a car and chauffeur and entered a house he had targeted via the front door while dressed in a business suit, as if nothing were amiss. Who would have ever thought of such a ruse?
"I didn't want to get nabbed by the cops," says Karasuyama. "So I thought of a way that would make me seem less conspicuous." The chauffer doubled as his lookout, and having a car at his disposal was helpful in transporting the large booty. And needless to say, the car was ready to roll in case he needed to make a quick getaway.
New technology also works to a crook's advantage. Use of the electric motor in hybrid vehicles, for example, generates a minimum of noise, attracting less attention.
The book introduces other techniques unfamiliar to the general public, such as use of lock picks and a glass cutter that permits a house window to be cut almost noiselessly. A jeweler's loupe can be utilized as a reverse door scope to view a house's entrance foyer via the peephole.
A member of the police burglary squad concedes that the book is informative and well written. "Of course it would create problems for us if readers go out and commit crimes, but hopefully the contents will make them more aware of their own vulnerability and they'll take precautions," says the unnamed cop. "The year-end and new year holidays are coming up soon, and it's a time when a lot of homes are unattended. This book can be called educational in the sense that it teaches by negative example."
Shukan Taishu also invited a gang member who had previously worked with thieves to appraise the book. "A burglar, in a sense, is a kind of craftsman," the man says, in a voice tinged with admiration. "Perhaps because they don't talk much about their work, they might be disliked by some people. But those at the peak of their profession might rake in several million yen a month, and in this day and age, that's nothing to sneeze at."
"Most of what I know about crime -- including working as a thief and what I learned while in prison, plus likely future trends -- have been included in the book," Karasuyama claims.
The book, published by Fusosha, a member of the Fuji-Sankei media group, is priced at 1,260 yen.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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Dewaashita
Anybody remember Abby Hoffman's "Steal This Book?"
gogogo
I hope the author who wrote this gets all their things stolen... glamorizing crime is stupid, makes out that this guy is cool or something... the guy should be beaten by police for confession to stealing.
Beelzebub
gogogo@ the police will have to find him first. Why do you think he wrote the book under a pseudonym?
asahi_man
The coppers only need to confront Fusosha then to follow the trail back to the writer, there has to be some direct contact. But i guess the J flops wouldnt think of that.
saborichan
Businessman to the end!
tokyokawasaki
Why should someone who obviously brought huge stress, sadness and violated the privacy of so many people be aloud to profit from his crimes?
What a disgusting man and idea.
METinTokyo
Not exactly Robin Hood is he? Anyone who has ever had their house invaded by this kind of creep, coming home and finding that things you've cherished have disappeared will not appreciate this book or the seaming impunity he is getting. Suggest that the publishers be held accountable for this mockery of justice.
I do not like thieves.
BlackWidow
yes, that's very honorable. yes. no, really.
TachibanaEri
He's not the first thief to do so. And some of them really have written books like this for the good of the public. Who knows why he did it, other than he himself.
trulymadlyfukai
I hope he gets killed on the job...scum.
space_monkey
One word...insurance.
DeepSpace
I think they should change the title of the article from "Sneak Thief' to a "Dirt Bag's" that is all he is.
Monkeyz
I once watched a TV show in the US where people volunteered to have their houses broken into (usually people with lots of security) by former professional thieves. After the thieves ransacked and looted the place, they would help the owners figure out the holes in their security system.
I could see a book like this being helpful in that way. If there are really tips on how to avoid having your home broken into hidden somewhere in the pages, it could be quite useful. Finding out some locks are easier to kick in than others, for example, could help someone make the right choice in trying to keep their stuff safe.
Personally, I sometimes forget to lock my door or I leave my windows open when I leave. But I have the best security system ever: Gossipy old biddies.
gaijinfo
This idiot is just begging for a beat down. On the other hand, it shows that anybody with half a brain can pull of a crime without any fear of getting caught so long as they don't turn themselves into the koban. That seems to be the only way the cops can arrest people.
he'll get caught eventually. Most thieves can't keep their exploits to themselves for long. He'll let it slip to somebody somewhere that he's the author if this book, and that will hopefully be that.
Beelzebub
Maybe he'll get arrested during one of his book signing events...
But seriously, if there's no evidence with which to charge him --- in the form of stolen goods in his possession --- and since he almost certainly does not mention the specifics of his crimes in the book, what will the police be able to act upon?
MrDog
Asian-inch AV performers know nothing about female erogenous zones. Just because a woman is told to make noises like a squeaky-toy doesn't mean the guy is skilled. Although, this guy certainly knows how to appeal to the readers of such a venerable publication as Shukan Taishu.
I hope he gets killed by someone who catches him robbing.
Scumbag.
grafton
Why does everybody here believe he really is a housebreaker? He may know and have talked with a few such people but that doesn’t mean he is one. Claiming that he is could, and I think is, just a way of getting publicity. The fact that he is trying to show burglars as being human beings is what I object to. What might be seen as a small crime in financial term is in fact a horrible crime to the person who has had their home invaded. When it comes to burglars I am all in favour of having their hands cut off.