In the case where several billion yen was stolen from a safe deposit box at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, we interviewed a man who had been the victim of a similar theft at a safe deposit box at another bank five years ago. ■Safe deposit box victim five years ago, broadcast on YouTube On the 11th, the program spoke to a man who had his cash stolen from a safe deposit box at a bank other than Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. Broadcast writer Genichi Adachi (59) "I had put my valuables in the bank's safe deposit box. When I opened it for the first time in about five years, it was empty. I'm sure I put it in (the safe deposit box)." For about four and a half years, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employees had stolen several billion yen worth of customers' assets, including cash, from safe deposit boxes at the Nerima and Tamagawa branches in Tokyo. The employee, who was in charge of counter operations, abused his position as the person in charge of the keys to the safe deposit boxes. Adachi broadcast the incident that happened to him five years ago on YouTube. This incident has come to light and is attracting attention. Adachi: "The bank said to me, '(The safe deposit box) is empty. Did you really put anything in there?' I did. But I can't prove what I put in there. It's not like we register anything." Unlike deposits, which are recorded in a passbook, only the user knows what they put in the safe deposit box. There was no way to prove that it was stolen. So he went back and re-examined the records of his safe deposit box entry and his own actions, and continued to ask the bank to investigate. Adachi: "After investigating for two to three months, (the bank) said, 'We found out' and 'We're very sorry. Our employee stole it.' The stolen items were returned safely. It was about three months after he realized they were missing. ■ Interview at a strictly managed members-only safe deposit box Lasco, a members-only safe deposit box in Hachioji, Tokyo, is said to be seeing an increase in the number of users in preparation for earthquakes, fires, and robberies. To enter the safe deposit box, a special key is required to open two doors, and the user opens and closes the safe themselves with another separate key. There is a spare key for the safe, but it is sealed and stamped by three people, the user and two administrators. Because it is strictly managed, there have never been any problems, and the problem with Mitsubishi UFJ Bank came as a surprise. Member-only safe deposit box operator Lasco's Katahira Masami: "I think it must have been the work of someone who knows the safe deposit boxes very well. We really don't know what's inside them. If they did it, I would imagine they would have opened them one by one and searched very carefully." Adachi, who was a victim five years ago, is still worried that "I don't know how the cash was stolen" from the safe deposit box. Adachi: "I found out that a bank employee stole it, but they never told me how they did it. I hope they tell me what measures to prevent it in the future." (From "Good! Morning" broadcast on December 12, 2024) [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp