Chinese Student Indicted Over Robbery Injuring Chinese Woman, Stealing Bag With ¥8 Million in Tokyo's Ikebukuro — Accomplice Fled Country
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Du Penghao, 22, a Chinese national and university student living in Tama City, Tokyo, on September 2, 2026, on charges of robbery causing injury. According to Kyodo News, he and an accomplice are accused of snatching a bag from a Chinese woman on a street in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, in June 2026. The bag reportedly contained roughly 8 million yen in cash. Du had been arrested on August 12, 2026.
Du is believed to have been one of the two people who carried out the robbery; his accomplice has already left Japan. The Metropolitan Police Department is continuing to investigate, based on statements obtained, the possibility that someone who knew in advance that the victim was carrying a large amount of cash instructed the pair to attack her.
Current status: The identity of any person who may have instructed the robbery, and the prospects for apprehending the accomplice who left the country, remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
Editorial Perspective
No decision on indictment has been made at this stage, so this article reflects information from the investigative phase. An arrest is only one step in criminal procedure and does not establish guilt (the presumption of innocence). According to National Police Agency and Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of Penal Code cases involving foreign nationals visiting Japan has risen for two consecutive years since 2023, but remains below its mid-2000s peak (related article). A single case does not necessarily reflect the broader statistical trend; further developments are worth watching.