3 Shotguns, 125 Rounds Stolen: Locked Gun Locker Disappears Entirely From Home in Hanyu, Saitama

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The story

A locked gun locker and safe were taken in their entirety from a home in Hanyu City, Saitama Prefecture, along with the 3 shotguns and 125 rounds of ammunition stored inside, as well as cash and jewelry. Police are investigating on suspicion of theft. On 5ch, the discussion ranged from basic questions about how an ordinary person can legally own a shotgun, to suspicions of an inside job given that only the locker and safe were targeted, to technical debates over whether the stolen guns could actually be fired.

3 shotguns, 125 rounds of ammunition and more stolen — Saitama’s Hanyu City home — still inside locked locker and safe — cash and jewelry also taken — Saitama Prefectural Police investigating theft case

Sat, Sep 19, 9:32 AM JST

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Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

What people said

2AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:29
What kind of house even has this stuff, lol.
A yakuza house?
66AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:46
Re: #2
Probably a hunter — for bear culling.
70AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:48
Re: #2
Yakuza guys ('893,' slang for yakuza — read as 'ya-ku-za') don't get hunting rifle licenses approved…
3AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:30
What kind of household even gets to own shotguns?
84AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:50
Re: #3
What do you mean by that?
12AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:32
What has to happen for someone to end up owning 3 shotguns and 125 rounds?
Some vested-interest, half-hobbyist hunter?
If anyone gets hurt because of this, the owner should be held jointly liable.
23AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:35
Re: #12
If they've got a hunting license, isn't that pretty normal?
14AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:32
Hitting the locker and safe with pinpoint precision like that… hard not to suspect it's a family member or someone close to the family.
32AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:37
Re: #14
Maybe they got their hands on a hunting club membership roster from somewhere and picked a target that way.
37AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:37
They say the part that locks the barrel wasn't stolen, but couldn't you just wrap it up in duct tape and still get one shot off?
38AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:39
Re: #37
Even if it can't actually fire, it's plenty scary as a threat.
39AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:39
Re: #37
Fiberglass-reinforced duct tape is pretty tough too.
45AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:41
As a kid I thought 'sandanjū' meant a 'three-tier gun' (it's a pun — 散弾銃/shotgun and 三段銃/'three-tier gun' are pronounced exactly the same).
56AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:45
Re: #45
That politician meal-voucher scandal was a tough one to wrap your head around.
47AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:42
I sometimes hear that the ammo is actually more dangerous than the gun itself — is that really true?
71AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:48
Re: #47
Without rounds, the gun itself is just scrap metal.

But flip it around — if you've got the rounds,
you can rig up a firing device out of almost anything.
Especially with shotgun shells, since you don't even need rifling.
48AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:42
Feels like the person who got their gun stolen should face some penalty too, for lax storage.
65AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:46
Re: #48
But in this case they stored it properly by the book, even keeping the parts disassembled separately —
that's exactly why those parts weren't stolen. There's not much more they could've done…
68AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:48
It bugs me that it doesn't specify 'for hunting purposes,' just says 'police-approved.'
Guess there's no follow-up coming?
75AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:49
Re: #68
There's also clay/skeet shooting.

Seems like every member of The Drifters (the veteran Japanese comedy troupe) used to own one.
83AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:50
A 'locked locker' (except it wasn't actually locked).
A 'locked locker' (except the key was left sitting in it).
Tell me that's not the punchline here.
90AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:52
Re: #83
>>According to police, when the woman returned home from being out, the locker and safe she kept at home were gone entirely.

However you slice it, this was clearly locked properly…
97AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:54
If it's a padlock, it's fairly easy to force open, or pick the cylinder.
This owner probably figured it'd never actually get stolen, and that's exactly why it did.
108AnonymousSep 19, 2026 10:58
Re: #97
>>What are the installation standards for gun lockers? A gun shop clearly explains the points needed to pass inspection!

All steel panels (door, side panels, top panel, etc.) must be at least 1.0mm thick
The structure must prevent the door from being removed while locked (fixed via a bolt-type mechanism, etc.)
The locker must have an internal chain or similar device to secure the gun, with the chain lock available in 120+ key variations
The structure must prevent the door from coming off even if the hinges are broken
The door lock must not be easily opened by outside force (a hook-bolt lock)
The door lock must have an anti-forgetting feature (e.g., the key can't be removed unless it's locked)
The door lock must come in 120+ key variations
Basically it's a physical key, but electronic lock versions are also sold these days.

This is no ordinary locker…?
113AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:00
What does the part that locks a shotgun's barrel in place actually look like?
Could an amateur make one by building a mold and pouring in melted rebar to cool?
117AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:01
Re: #113
You could make one out of wood.
121AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:01
Let's hope that weapon gets used for something righteous.
126AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:02
Re: #121
Like touring the country culling bears? lol
180AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:18
As long as they hold the license, they probably bear some duty of care — but I guess there's no defending against someone hauling off the whole safe.

Re: #121
lol ("grass" — Japanese net slang for LOL)
123AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:02
Nah, this is probably just a plain burglary.
They saw a big safe, grabbed it, and are probably sitting there right now going 'what the hell is this' after finding guns inside.
131AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:04
Re: #123
If they get caught, would this carry a heavier sentence than if the safe had just held cash and jewelry?
137AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:06
Is 125 rounds of ammo a normal amount to keep on hand?
143AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:08
Re: #137
Well, you do go through rounds practicing and all.
163AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:13
Re: #137
They probably buy them in bulk boxes, so
isn't that about right?
189AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:22
Public order in Saitama is really going downhill fast.
190AnonymousSep 19, 2026 11:23
Re: #189
It's Neo-Saitama now (a riff on 'Neo-Tokyo' from the anime Akira).

Background and Key Points of Debate

Under Japan’s Firearms and Swords Control Law, owning a shotgun requires a hunting license and permission from the Public Safety Commission, and the law mandates that owners store the weapon at home in a lockable gun locker, with ammunition kept separately in a safe. The storage standards mentioned in the thread (steel panels at least 1mm thick, anti-forgetting lock mechanisms, etc.) are based on this law. In this case, the locker and safe were taken away whole, contents and all, splitting commenters between two theories: a random burglary, or a targeted job by a family member or associate who knew where they were kept. Reports say the part that locks the barrel in place was not stolen, but whether the guns could actually be fired without it can’t be determined from the original article alone — readers should note that the thread’s discussion on this point remains speculation.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread: “[Saitama] 3 shotguns, 125 rounds of ammunition and more stolen — Hanyu City home — still inside locked locker and safe — cash and jewelry also taken — investigating on suspicion of theft

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