TOKYO, Oct 7 — The Tokyo District Court sentenced former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank assistant branch manager Yukari Yamazaki to nine years in prison on October 6 for stealing approximately 400 million yen worth of gold bars and cash from a bank safe deposit vault.
During the trial, the defense argued that weaknesses in the bank’s security system had allowed Yamazaki to repeatedly commit the thefts. However, the court dismissed this claim in its ruling.
The court stated that the defendant, who had earned the bank’s trust and held a position of responsibility, exploited security systems in a way that only someone in her limited position could, effectively rendering the safeguards powerless.
The court further declared that Yamazaki’s actions were strongly deserving of condemnation.