With a surge in burglaries — which often also involve assaults — linked to “dark” part-time jobs emerging across the Kanto region since the summer, residents are increasingly concerned about how to avoid becoming targets and how to respond if an intruder breaks in.

Experts advise using security products to delay aggressive intruders, avoiding confrontation and prioritizing personal safety over valuables. Keeping doors locked and having an escape plan are also recommended.

Yuichi Sakurai, a former Metropolitan Police Department superintendent and current CEO of STeam Research & Consulting, emphasized that in an intrusion, the key to safety is buying time, especially as intruders hired for “yami baito” (dark part-time jobs) are often aggressive and should not be confronted.

Measures are especially important as even a rapid response from the police is likely to take several minutes.

According to a 2022 white paper from the National Police Agency, the average response time for officers to arrive after a 110 emergency call was 8 minutes and 24 seconds in 2021.

Sakurai advised implementing preventive measures, but noted that while security cameras, motion sensors and additional lighting are helpful, they may not deter such intruders.

"The leaders often instruct their accomplices to proceed despite such security systems," he said, adding that, unlike typical burglars — opportunists that may balk when startled or confronted by unforeseen obstacles — these intruders may not hesitate.

The effective use of security products — reinforced glass or security films, which hold glass fragments together in place when impacted, on windows, especially those with the NPA-approved CP mark for crime prevention — can make a crucial difference as they make it harder to break in, which helps buy time, Sakurai explained.

Quick entry through easily shattered glass puts residents at risk of being caught off-guard, especially if they’re asleep. He advised calling 110 immediately upon hearing glass break.

While waiting for the police, residents should avoid confronting the intruders, he added. Instead, Sakurai recommended hiding in a locked room, such as a bathroom, and keeping the call to police active, allowing officers to assess the situation and respond faster.

Fleeing can be risky since multiple intruders may be waiting outside, he said, so it’s often safer to prioritize measures that delay entry.

The longer you delay the intruders, the more time you give the police to arrive and assist, he said, noting that, ideally, the police reach you before the intruders gain entry.

Meanwhile, Japanese security service provider ALSOK recommends the following:

  • Installing secondary locks on doors and windows for enhanced security. They also advise always locking up when going to bed or leaving the house, and keeping doors locked even when at home.
  • To prevent burglaries, ALSOK recommends responding to visitors with the door chain or guard engaged and having deliveries left at the entrance.

Additionally, they advise individuals to prepare and regularly review possible escape routes, while also identifying a secure and locked location on the property to retreat to if an escape isn’t possible in order to give yourself more time to report the incident to authorities. It's also important to keep a security buzzer by the door for emergencies and to check for suspicious individuals before reaching for your keys upon returning home, they said.

Since the perpetrators may be selecting targets based on a "black list" — or lists that contain personal details about vulnerable groups, including elderly and affluent households — anyone on it could potentially become a target, Sakurai said. However, because it’s unclear which homes are included, any residence could be at risk.

While apartments with many residents might deter intruders due to the potential for noise and quick detection, Sakurai warned against complacency, noting that determined intruders may still attempt entry despite nearby neighbors.

He emphasized that valuables are secondary to personal safety and that many of those involved in dark part-time jobs are inexperienced and could react violently.

If they demand money, calmly comply and direct them to it, he said.

“Remember, your life is far more important than any of your belongings.”