Latest news with #PhamMinhDuc
Asahi Shimbun
13-05-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Vietnamese man accused in theft of 22 bonsai from store in Tokyo
This Chinese juniper was stolen from a garden store in Akishima, western Tokyo. (Provided by the Metropolitan Police Department) A Vietnamese national was arrested on suspicion of stealing nearly two dozen bonsai worth 668,000 yen ($4,500) in one of five reported thefts of the miniature potted trees in Tokyo last year. Pham Minh Duc, 30, is accused of trespassing at a garden store in Akishima, western Tokyo, on Dec. 7 and swiping 22 trees, the Metropolitan Police Department said May 12. The suspect, who lives in Sakai, Ibaraki Prefecture, admitted to the allegations, police said. Investigators believe he stole the trees for resale under instructions from others. Bonsai have gained in popularity around the world in recent years, including other countries in Asia. Thefts of the dwarfed trees have been reported around Japan. The 22 trees stolen in December included a Japanese black pine worth about 100,000 yen, a Japanese white pine and a Chinese juniper. Pham, unemployed, told police that he acted as a driver in the burglary. Security camera footage showed him with two others around the garden store. The suspect said he applied for a driver's job on social media and bought the car used in the crime based on instructions he received online. He said he had thrown away about half of the trees on a riverbed in Ibaraki Prefecture and brought the others to vacant lots in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures.
NHK
12-05-2025
- NHK
Vietnamese man arrested for allegedly stealing 'bonsai' from Tokyo shop
Tokyo police have arrested a Vietnamese man on suspicion of stealing "bonsai" potted trees from a botanical shop, possibly for sale abroad. The Metropolitan Police Department says Pham Minh Duc is suspected of taking 22 items from the shop in Tokyo's Akishima City in December last year. Some of the more expensive items are worth about 680 dollars each. Police say anti-theft wires were cut away and the total value of the 22 trees is nearly 4,500 dollars. The 30-year-old suspect is believed to have worked as a driver for a criminal group. Investigators think there were two other people who broke into the shop and another who gave them instructions. The suspect came to Japan as a technical trainee under a government-backed program, but had overstayed his visa by the time of the break-in. He reportedly told police that he was cash-strapped and had applied for a job as a driver that he found on social media. The horticultural art of "bonsai" is becoming popular outside Japan. Police suspect that the group has been continuously stealing bonsai items to sell them to overseas enthusiasts.
