The Unsolved Case of Japan’s Most Infamous Robbery

A robber outwits bank employees and gets away with the cash.

The Heist

On December 10, 1968, the biggest heist in Japan’s history¹ was committed. That heist remains unsolved to this day, over half a century later.

On that morning, four Kokubunji branch employees of the Nihon Shintaku Ginko bank were transporting ￥294,307,500 (the U.S. $ equivalent of $817,520 at 1968 exchange rates).

At the time, the employees were transferring the money in the trunk of a company car. Also, the metal boxes also contained bonuses for the employees of Toshiba’s Fuchu factory.

As the branch employee approached a street next to Toyoko Fuchū Prison to deliver the money, they got stopped by who they thought was a young uniformed officer on a police motorcycle.

After stopping, the unassuming police officer approached them, informing the four employees that the house of their branch manager had just blown up and that his station had received a warning that dynamite had been planted in that very company vehicle as well.

The four branch employees promptly got out of the vehicle while the officer crawled underneath the company car to inspect it for any bombs.

Moments later, smoke and flames billowed out and shot out from under the vehicle, prompting the officer to get out from under the car shouting that an explosion was imminent.