Suspect claimed to do it for the thrill.

When traveling by plane, we put a lot of faith in the people who operate the airports and aircraft that get us where we need to go. Extensive security has been put in place to prevent people from bringing dangerous items aboard flights, but it begs the question of who is inspecting the inspectors.

We probably take it for granted that an airport like Haneda, which was named the third best airport in the world for 2025, has a whole system of safeguards to prevent inspectors from abusing their authority when we surrender our belongings, putting bags and other items in trays and on the conveyor belt in order to pass through the security checkpoint. But even if it does, it is not infallible, as we learned with the arrest of one of their baggage inspectors.

▼ News report about the arrest

The incident occurred on 13 September, when 21-year-old Ryo Matsumoto was working as an inspector and seemingly organizing someone’s luggage. However, what he was really doing was reaching into a tray containing a passenger’s money and pocketing about 90,000 yen (US$613) in cash.

When his shift ended, he attempted to stuff the ill-gotten money in a toilet paper roll in the stall of an employee restroom. It would seem that he had suspected the heat was on him, because shortly after he was arrested for the theft.

When questioned by police, he said he had stolen other people’s cash for the thrill of possibly getting caught. Matsumoto added that he had done similar thefts 70 or 80 times since August, stealing about 1.5 million yen ($10,000) in total. Police are currently looking into his claims to see if they can charge him with further thefts as well.

Comments online expressed a mix of emotions, including surprise that such a thing could happen in Japan and helplessness that there isn’t much choice but to temporarily hand over valuables while boarding an airplane.

“It always bothers me when they tell me to put my wallet on the conveyor belt.”
“Come to think of it, I probably wouldn’t have noticed if someone pocketed a bill while I changed money.”
“I have to hand over my wallet at airports. What can I do if the inspector is a thief?”
“I heard this can happen overseas, but in Japan too?”
“He must have tried it once and got a taste for it.”
“Beyond the theft, he’s really damaging people’s trust in the airport. He should be punished for that as well.”

Ultimately, it’s up to the airport to provide reliable baggage inspectors, and there’s no foolproof way to prevent such a theft. Still, keeping all of your valuables together, including passports, in a zippered or buttoned pouch can make them less tempting to unscrupulous inspectors as they’d be too attention-drawing and inconvenient. Also, timing the trays so that either you or a companion can keep an eye on them at all times will help.

It just goes to show that you can never be too careful, no matter where you’re flying to or from.

Source: FNN Prime Online, Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Pakutaso
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