In-flight thefts soar in Japan as passengers warned of high-altitude thieves

According to Chiba prefectural police, which covers Narita International Airport to the east of Tokyo, there were 19 such cases reported in the first 10 months of 2024, up from seven incidents in the same period the previous year.

In each case, victims reported being asleep on a flight into or out of the airport and later discovered items in their luggage placed in overhead storage units had gone missing.

In most cases, cash taken from wallets was replaced with less valuable banknotes from other countries, meaning that victims did not realise something was amiss until much later. This delaying tactic adds to suspicions that an organised crime group or groups might be targeting the flights, the Mainichi newspaper reported.

Chiba police said around 60 per cent of the victims were Japanese men who lost yen, dollars or credit cards from inside bags stowed in overhead bins. Losses averaged 410,000 yen (US$2,605), although one passenger told police that 2.07 yen million had gone missing.

It is believed that the thefts took place after cabin lights had been dimmed to allow passengers to sleep on long-haul flights, although cash has also gone missing aboard shorter flights to destinations in Asia.