One of the most talked-about cases in Japan is the thieving of panties and underwear. Even many Brazilians who have lived in Japan say that they have had their underwear stolen from the clothesline. In this article we'll understand the mystery behind why the Japanese steal panties.
In Japan, you can leave a branded blouse wherever you like, but if you leave a pair of panties or a bra on the outside clothesline, they'll go and take them. To give you an idea, in 2017 more than 10,000 cases of panty theft were registered with the Japanese police, and around 4,000 cases were solved.
In Japan, panty thieves are called shitage dorobou [下着泥棒], which means intimate garment thief.
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Why do Japanese people steal panties?
Men usually steal panties to sniff and chew because they have fetishes. But there have been reports of men stealing panties to wear them, or simply to collect them.
The fetish for panties in Japan is so common that there are vending machines for used panties. We recommend also reading our article about panties to understand their culture.
Who Steals the Panties?
Many people imagine that panty theft is most often carried out by perverted men, but this isn't always the case - even women steal panties and clothes from the clothesline.
Women can also steal panties for personal use. The police say that when two pieces of bra are stolen, it is usually a woman.
What is the damage caused by the Panty Thieves?
A survey conducted on the InfoQ website presents some interesting data on panty thefts. The survey reveals that about 8% of the respondents have had their panties and underwear stolen.
The survey reveals that around 25% have had more than four pieces stolen. The main colors stolen are white, black and pink, and more than 70% of thefts take place on the balconies of houses.
How do Japanese steal panties?
Most of the time, thefts take place on outdoor clotheslines, but they may well happen on the balcony of an elevated building if you leave the window of your apartment open.
Some also steal from public laundrettes, but there have been several reports of extreme cases where men have approached women in the street and asked them to remove their panties, sometimes by force or by offering them money.
Some professional thieves even break into houses. There was once a thief who was arrested for stealing 34 pairs of panties from a house. Imagine coming home and having to buy knickers again? At least he didn't steal the TV and computer.
There have been cases of panty theft where the thief had accomplices, even female ones. If you think 34 pairs of panties is not enough, one person was arrested with more than 5000 pairs of panties in his house.
Rules and Police against theft of panties
The problem is recognized, so much so that the police make an effort to chase down a thief wearing panties, something that doesn't usually happen in the West, where the police prefer not to make much of an effort.
In Japan, there is a law to curb the specific theft of panties. Those caught doing this can be imprisoned for up to 10 years and also pay a fine of 500,000 yen, since the act is considered perversion and not just a simple theft of belongings.
Some laundries have rules about underwear, recommending that you don't leave your underwear out in the open or overnight in the laundry.
When using outdoor drying racks, women are also warned not to leave underwear or lingerie out overnight, because they simply disappear, regardless of whether you live in an apartment or a house.
When you go to a Koban to report the theft of panties, the police take the matter seriously, asking for the color and size. Some officers may go to the scene of the crime and even make diagrams.
Only Japanese steal panties?
It seems very unusual for Westerners for men to steal underwear, but in fact it can also be quite common elsewhere.
In fact, perverts are everywhere. Probably what differentiates Japanese perverts from Westerners is the false morality that the Japanese are used to following, so instead of raping innocent people, some are content to steal panties.
In the midst of discussions about underwear in Japan, I came across several people who lived in the United States complaining that their underwear was stolen from a Coin Laundry. In fact, when searching on Google Images for panty thieves in English, I found almost no images of Japanese people.
Perhaps crime isn't very common in Brazil, not least because nobody does their laundry in a public laundrette and most houses are usually surrounded by walls. But what about countries without walls?
I've also come across comments from Brazilians claiming that other Brazilians have stolen their panties from the clothesline in Japan, which shows that it's not a fetish or something exclusive to Japanese people.
How to avoid having your panties stolen in Japan?
The obvious thing is not to leave them on the outside clothesline, most Japanese women know this, some try to hide the clothes with a towel, but thieves already know this trick, so there are still risks.
Generally, panty thieves steal more from houses and apartments than from Coin Laundry itself. This is often because the Japanese, accustomed to the country's peace, leave their doors unlocked.
Maybe one of your neighbors is a panty thief, so be very careful. Any type of lingerie or bra is also subject to theft.
Even in an onsen, women need to be careful when leaving their panties in a basket. There have been many cases of men invading women's locker rooms to steal panties or even hiring other women to do this service.
The video below is in English, but you can add translated subtitles. It tells some interesting facts about panty theft in Japan and other types of crime: