Japan's crime wave - is it Miwa's fault?

[Jimmie]

the discs look and work the same way the FICHET H discs work except Fichet discs have a lot of anti pick notches on each disc

[greyman]

Hi Jimmie

I think the Miwa U9 levers also have anti pick notches in them. Maybe this does not show up in the drawing that was posted. The U9 might as well be a copy of the Ingersoll. It has only been patented in Japan as far as I know and is not exported, so I guess this way Miwa was able to bypass the usual scrutiny by not seeking a worldwide patent. If they had tried to commercialise it, they would have had to show how it was different from the Ingersoll, but actually there are no essential differences.

Ciao,
greyman

[greyman]

I'd like to make a minor correction: the U9 levers are reversibly mounted whereas the Ingersoll ones aren't. That's a minor difference in principle, but one that leads to a lot more usable combinations since you can have cuts on either side of the key for the same lever position.

[TheLockpickGuy]

The point I would like to make is Miwa is now blaming the increase on crime on foreign gangs (read "Chinese"). However the figures don't add up as they account for such a small percentage of the population and are reasonably well off. What I reckon is Miwa is covering its own bum for supplying millions of lock sets and cylinders that have serious security flaws (the Miwa wafer lock is from 1955).

What do people reckon? Is it triads ot just Miwa's own product that has led to this situation? It is convenient for Miwa to blame foreigners for the problem, since guess who stands to benefit from people upgrading their locks...

I do apologize for necroing this dead thread, but I've seen some news releases over the past 10 or so years that add some more information to this topic. It wasn't "the triads" involved in these burglaries -- not all criminals are part of a national/global organized crime syndicate. And it wasn't just Chinese nationals committing these crimes. Recent news reports show that the bulk (not all, but a large chunk) of the lock picking related burglaries were committed by Chinese criminals and Korean criminals. They apprehended them and found lock picks on their person.

But is/was it Miwa's fault? I think that assertion is beyond ludicrous. Miwa locks, even back then, were 'relatively' secure locks. Sure, they were no Abloy Protec2 or EVVA MCS but it's not like they were Master lock #3. I would put their older (10-20 years ago) locks on par with Best. The first outbreak of lock-picking burglaries occurred in 2000. They continued to occur off & on until ~2007 when they finally waned. During that time Miwa and other lock manufacturers in Japan dramatically increased the security of their locks. Yet despite this, the picking related crimes still occurred. This proves it wasn't Miwa's fault. So what happened in 2007 that lead to the decrease of picking-related crimes? They changed the laws regarding lock picks and now deal harsh penalties for those caught with them (2 years in jail just for possession of lock picking tools, if memory serves).

Here are some tidbits related to lock picking crimes that have happened since 2007:

In February 2008, three Chinese burglars were arrested for taking money from an apartment in Tokyo. The three were linked to 500 break-ins that involved using a wire to easily open a certain kind of door. They are believed to have taken tens of millions of yen worth of money and goods.

and

A two-man Chinese burglary gang that were arrested said they had committed 400 burglaries in the Tokyo metropolitan area and netted $2 million. They used taxis to reach their targets and make their get away.

Source: http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat22/sub147/item815.html

The source also goes on to say that while lock picking crimes decreased, there was a rise in simple breaking and entering (people breaking windows & doors to gain entry). That fact further distances Miwa from culpability.

[Squelchtone]

The point I would like to make is Miwa is now blaming the increase on crime on foreign gangs (read "Chinese"). However the figures don't add up as they account for such a small percentage of the population and are reasonably well off. What I reckon is Miwa is covering its own bum for supplying millions of lock sets and cylinders that have serious security flaws (the Miwa wafer lock is from 1955).

What do people reckon? Is it triads ot just Miwa's own product that has led to this situation? It is convenient for Miwa to blame foreigners for the problem, since guess who stands to benefit from people upgrading their locks...

I do apologize for necroing this dead thread, but I've seen some news releases over the past 10 or so years that add some more information to this topic. It wasn't "the triads" involved in these burglaries -- not all criminals are part of a national/global organized crime syndicate. And it wasn't just Chinese nationals committing these crimes. Recent news reports show that the bulk (not all, but a large chunk) of the lock picking related burglaries were committed by Chinese criminals and Korean criminals. They apprehended them and found lock picks on their person.

But is/was it Miwa's fault? I think that assertion is beyond ludicrous. Miwa locks, even back then, were 'relatively' secure locks. Sure, they were no Abloy Protec2 or EVVA MCS but it's not like they were Master lock #3. I would put their older (10-20 years ago) locks on par with Best. The first outbreak of lock-picking burglaries occurred in 2000. They continued to occur off & on until ~2007 when they finally waned. During that time Miwa and other lock manufacturers in Japan dramatically increased the security of their locks. Yet despite this, the picking related crimes still occurred. This proves it wasn't Miwa's fault. So what happened in 2007 that lead to the decrease of picking-related crimes? They changed the laws regarding lock picks and now deal harsh penalties for those caught with them (2 years in jail just for possession of lock picking tools, if memory serves).

Here are some tidbits related to lock picking crimes that have happened since 2007:

In February 2008, three Chinese burglars were arrested for taking money from an apartment in Tokyo. The three were linked to 500 break-ins that involved using a wire to easily open a certain kind of door. They are believed to have taken tens of millions of yen worth of money and goods.

and

A two-man Chinese burglary gang that were arrested said they had committed 400 burglaries in the Tokyo metropolitan area and netted $2 million. They used taxis to reach their targets and make their get away.

Source: http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat22/sub147/item815.html

The source also goes on to say that while lock picking crimes decreased, there was a rise in simple breaking and entering (people breaking windows & doors to gain entry). That fact further distances Miwa from culpability.

TheLockpickGuy, I find it interesting that your email address is PR@miwa.jp



most interesting indeed....



nah, just kidding! =)


Thanks for your follow up, it's ok to necro if it adds new information or answers a long unanswered question.

Squelchtone

[mh]

Yep, thanks for the interesting link to this collection about Japanese heists etc