Last month, three masked robbers grabbed a suitcase stuffed with cash from a businessman who had just withdrawn the money from a bank in Fukuoka. The businessman is believed to have been planning to use the ¥380 million ($3.5 million) to buy gold.
In December, gold bars worth ¥600 million ($5 million) were stolen by men disguised as police officers, also in Fukuoka. It's possible the two crimes are related, with several news outlets and the police suspecting that crime syndicates could be involved.
The two thefts total ¥980 million but that pales by comparison to the great ATM heist that was carried out last year.