Background
The 300 Million Yen Robbery is one of Japan's best-known unsolved crimes. It took place on the morning of 10 December 1968 on a road beside Fuchū Prison in Tokyo. Four employees of Nippon Trust Bank's Kokubunji branch were carrying bonus pay for workers at Toshiba's Fuchū factory in a car.
The employees knew of threatening letters previously sent to the branch manager, which made the story told to them believable.
Payroll in Japan at the time was commonly delivered in cash, so the robbery also prompted debate about how companies transport money.
What happened
A young man dressed as a motorcycle police officer stopped the car and said the manager's home had been bombed and the car might contain explosives. He crawled under the vehicle and lit a flare to simulate a fire, and when the employees ran, he drove off in the car. The amount taken was ¥294,307,500, equivalent to roughly US$817,000 at 1968 exchange rates.
The cash boxes were moved through at least two previously stolen vehicles. About 120 items were left behind, most of them ordinary objects deliberately scattered to mislead the police.
The speed and apparent planning of the robbery led police to offer contradictory readings, from an organised group to a lone actor, and none was ever proven.
Investigation and legal status
The case prompted one of the largest investigations in Japanese police history. More than 110,000 names appeared on the suspect list, 780,000 composite images were distributed and six million fingerprints were checked, without a match. A 19-year-old son of a police officer was initially suspected, but he died of cyanide poisoning on 15 December 1968 and his death was ruled a suicide. The money was never traced.
Another young man was arrested in 1975 on an unrelated charge while holding a large sum he would not explain, but no link to the robbery was proven. The criminal statute of limitations expired in December 1975, and civil liability ended by 1988.
Legacy
Although the file is formally closed, the case continues to inspire novels, films and documentaries in Japan. It remains an example in public debate about police methods and media attention, and it has never been solved.