Shoplifting has long been an issue in Japan with retail staff going to great lengths to combat it, such as being dragged by cars or covering the entire ceiling with security cameras.
And despite all this, the problem not only continues, but appears to be getting bolder as an arrest by Fukuoka Prefectural Police has shown.
On 16 June at a Geo (pronounced gay-oh) electronics store in Onojo City, a 23-year-old man entered shortly before midnight, picked up a packaged 49-inch TV, and just walked out the entrance without paying.
It should come as no surprise that the Geo staff easily saw this man stroll through the front doors with the 65-by-110-centimeter (26-by-43-inch) appliance weighing 12 kilograms (26 pounds). However, the manager proved to be the truly smooth operator in this incident.
Rather than confronting the suspect and risk damaging the 45,800 yen (US$422) set, he simply watched as the man loaded it in his car and made a note of the license plate number. After that, he placed a call to the police who easily caught the suspect just as he arrived at his home in neighboring Nakagawa City.
