Japan sees spate of break‑in thefts in Saitama and Tokyo

Police in Saitama City’s Kita‑ku reported seven incidents of window‑breaking entries at a hair salon, restaurants and other businesses between the early hours of June 2 and midday on June 3. Two of the locations suffered cash theft. Investigators noted that all the break‑ins occurred within a 600‑metre radius and are treating the cases as possibly linked, also reviewing a series of similar salon thefts that took place in Wako City in June.

In Tokyo’s Chuo ward, early on July 6, multiple suspects shattered the windows of a safety‑deposit box facility in Shintomi, used a crowbar to force the vault open and fled. Surveillance footage and the scene suggest a coordinated theft, and the Metropolitan Police are pursuing the perpetrators.

Both incidents are being investigated as theft offenses, with authorities examining whether the break‑ins are part of a broader pattern of criminal activity.