South Korean Man Arrested Over Alleged Shoplifting and Resale of More Than 10,000 Items from Tokyo Bookstores
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On May 8, 2026, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a South Korean man (49) on suspicion of theft for allegedly shoplifting more than 10,000 items — including books and Blu-ray discs worth approximately 5.82 million yen — from multiple bookstores in Tokyo, including one in Nakano Ward, between 2019 and around March 2026, and selling them to secondhand bookstores. He reportedly has a prior arrest on theft charges involving a bookstore in Sumida Ward.
This time, the case came to light after store staff received a report that a customer previously barred from entry over shoplifting had returned, prompting them to check security camera footage. The man reportedly denies the allegations, saying he "doesn't remember." The case involves an extremely large-scale shoplifting and resale operation totaling more than 10,000 items over seven years. Current status: The suspect has been arrested and is denying the allegations. Whether he will be indicted has not been disclosed as of this writing.
The scale of the case — more than 10,000 items and total damages of approximately 5.82 million yen over seven years — suggests habitual offending premised on resale, rather than isolated incidents of shoplifting. Some observers note that secondhand bookstores can have relatively lax identity-verification practices, making them an easy outlet for selling stolen goods.
The man reportedly has a prior arrest in a different ward, and uncovering the full extent of any additional offenses will be a focus going forward. A similar case of theft for resale purposes involves a group of Vietnamese nationals accused of shoplifting large quantities of cosmetics (related coverage).