Crime & Courts

Man, 18, Given 54 Months for Robbery in Tokyo’s Ginza

From a provided video
A robbery suspect in a white mask is seen inside a watch store in Tokyo’s Ginza district on May 8.

Jiji Press

17:29 JST, September 25, 2023

TOKYO, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press) — Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced an 18-year-old man to four years and six months in prison for robbery at a luxury watch shop in Tokyo’s posh Ginza district in May.

Judge Madoka Hiruta said the act of the man, Shoma Torii, was “bold, dangerous and malicious.” Prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison term for him.

On May 8, Torii robbed a luxury watch shop in Ginza of 74 items worth a total of some ¥308.5 million in conspiracy with people including Ryuma Azusawa, 19, who has also been indicted for charges including robbery, according to the ruling.

In the case, the names of three offenders, including Torii and Azusawa, were publicized at the time of indictment as they are “specified juveniles,” or 18- or 19-year-old criminal offenders under the revised juvenile law.

Hiruta said that Torii was “in a subordinate position, but he played important roles, such as threatening employees with a knife and stealing the items.”

Although all of the stolen goods have been recovered, Torii’s “criminal responsibility is serious, and an unsuspended prison sentence is unavoidable,” the judge added.