A ¥200 million watch theft in Tokyo made me wonder about something more unsettling than the crime itself. What separates people who commit crimes from those who do not—and can any of us be completely sure which side we belong to?
Yesterday, I read that wristwatches worth about 200 million yen had been stolen by two men in Nakano, Tokyo.
As someone who is perfectly satisfied with an Apple Watch simply because it helps me keep track of my health, I find it hard to imagine a single watch being worth tens of millions of yen. Still, as a financial asset that can also show other people how wealthy you are, I suppose such a watch has its uses.
Of course, the thieves probably did not steal the watches to wear them themselves. Presumably, they intend to turn them into money. Either way, taking something that belongs to someone else is a crime.
I have no idea what kind of people the perpetrators are, but one thing seems certain: they had somehow lost the restraint that would normally stop a person from committing a crime.
What makes someone a criminal?
People commit crimes for reasons. But however far we trace those reasons back—asking why they came to think the way they did—it seems impossible to reach the ultimate cause.
We might divide the people of the world into those who commit crimes and those who do not.
But which group do I belong to?
Looking back over my own life, I have at least committed traffic violations, so apparently I belong, in a broad sense, on the side of people who have broken the law.
Thinking about it that way, perhaps it is wrong in the first place to divide humanity neatly into two kinds of people: those who commit crimes and those who never do.
Even so, I have been lucky enough to live my life without committing any serious crime. Perhaps I was simply fortunate never to have had a sufficiently powerful reason or motive to do so.
Criminal psychologists and other specialists must have studied criminals in great depth. And the endless stream of crime dramas on television suggests that a great many people are fascinated by crime.
Perhaps that is partly because the emotions that can lead to crime—anger, jealousy, greed, hatred—are emotions that almost anyone can understand, at least to some degree.
If so, perhaps many of us have the potential to fall into crime.
And perhaps that is one reason human beings have a conscience: to keep us from doing so.
I cannot imagine wanting to steal watches worth 200 million yen. In fact, I do not want to commit even a minor offense.
I do not want to become a criminal.
Still, I wonder what those two men are going to do with watches worth 200 million yen.
Is there some criminal organization behind them, with a carefully prepared plan and an established route for selling the stolen watches?
The crime took place in an area known as a mecca for luxury-watch enthusiasts. For decent people who simply enjoy collecting watches, this kind of incident is nothing but trouble.
I hope the perpetrators are caught soon.
Perhaps the line between a criminal and a non-criminal is clearer than we think—and yet none of us should be too certain which side of it we could never cross.
・・・
Vocabulary for Learners
restraint
The ability to stop yourself from doing something, especially something wrong or harmful.
自制、抑制、歯止め
perpetrator
A person who commits a crime or other harmful act.
犯人、加害者
ultimate cause
The deepest or most fundamental reason why something happens.
根源的な原因
traffic violation
An act that breaks a law or rule concerning driving or road use.
交通違反
motive
A reason that makes someone do something, especially a crime.
動機
criminal psychologist
A specialist who studies the thoughts, emotions, and behavior of people who commit crimes.
犯罪心理学者
greed
A strong desire to have more money, possessions, or power than one needs.
強欲、欲深さ
conscience
The inner sense that tells you whether what you are doing is morally right or wrong.
良心
criminal organization
An organized group of people who work together to commit crimes.
犯罪組織
mecca
A place that attracts many people who share a particular interest.
ある趣味や活動の「聖地」
#Crime #HumanNature #Conscience #Tokyo #Nakano #LuxuryWatches #Psychology #ThoughtsOnLife #Japan #EverydayPhilosophy
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