Bonsai theft trial

[rockm]

This is an eye opener on the increasing theft of bonsai in Japan. SE Asia connection to contracted thefts from established nurseries there. Selling the stolen trees in Vietnam after hiring down and out people to do the actual burglary

2 Vietnamese go on trial for major bonsai theft in Kumamoto | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[bwaynef]

I can't think its a coincidence that a lot of high-end trees, including some species that simply aren't available through other channels due to the legal complexity of getting them, are being auctioned on FB by folks with names I'd categorize as Vietnamese-sounding. I've spoken with a couple of professionals. I don't know that any one person has a complete picture, but its not hard to come to the conclusion that something shady is happening. It's tough too, to lay off the low-dollar high-end trees simply because they're likely ill-gotten goods. A lot of people either haven't thought it through or don't seem bothered by it, based on the volume of auctions I see completing though.

 

[Srt8madness]

This is an eye opener on the increasing theft of bonsai in Japan. SE Asia connection to contracted thefts from established nurseries there. Selling the stolen trees in Vietnam after hiring down and out people to do the actual burglary

2 Vietnamese go on trial for major bonsai theft in Kumamoto | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

The article reads almost comical, this guy literally tried so hard to make a living as a criminal and just kept failing. Visa overstay - fail, stealing bonsai trees - barely made any money, tried growing pot - arrested and never paid.

He'd have been better off staying in the internship, even if it was a bit unfair.

 

[rockm]

The article reads almost comical, this guy literally tried so hard to make a living as a criminal and just kept failing. Visa overstay - fail, stealing bonsai trees - barely made any money, tried growing pot - arrested and never paid.

He'd have been better off staying in the internship, even if it was a bit unfair.

I don’t think this kind of situation is uncommon for foreign workers in any country. The guy got trafficked basically = promises only to get a shitty deal with no escape other than more criminal promises

 

[Cadillactaste]

I can't think its a coincidence that a lot of high-end trees, including some species that simply aren't available through other channels due to the legal complexity of getting them, are being auctioned on FB by folks with names I'd categorize as Vietnamese-sounding. I've spoken with a couple of professionals. I don't know that any one person has a complete picture, but its not hard to come to the conclusion that something shady is happening. It's tough too, to lay off the low-dollar high-end trees simply because they're likely ill-gotten goods. A lot of people either haven't thought it through or don't seem bothered by it, based on the volume of auctions I see completing though.

I don't think it's theft, but a source. Their decent trees...but not prime quality one can expect from Japan..but decent enough. But I have talked to a few over imports seemingly not quarantined...run through the auction platform on FB. I can't help but see that it gets caught by someone at some point...and a domino effect come from it. If one has good records.

Why I don't think it's theft. I won't name the seller. But I had a friend get a tree the seller told them to go ahead and repot. The tree had NO ROOTS. That isn't a stolen tree. Its a poor supplier issue. Now...I've heard of imports coming in with such an issue, I've seen mention on Instagram awhile back... It was a first I heard of it here. A tree bought off a FB auction platform.

Anyone risking buying a quick turn around import... takes on that risk of it dying. That's just the way I see it.

 

[JudyB]

The FB auction site has strict rules about imports. I know they have banned one of the main sellers of questionable provenance, although I don’t know the details of why, I can surmise.

 

[NaoTK]

Fucked up situation all around, just look at the 'related news.' I am glad Japan is prosecuting as compared to the US which won't even investigate.
The onus is on everyone to not support this sort of behavior; do not support imported trees on FB etc.

In a broader context, Japan has changed a lot in the last 30 years and public sentiment is swinging against foreigners, like a lot of countries looking inward lately. In 1990 I remember never seeing a single foreigner on the train. Now they have the train announcements in 3 languages. Earlier this year I was on the train and a large group of tourists got on. No attempt was made to follow Japanese culture, they were eating and drinking and talking loudly on the train. This is what local Japanese people see and react to. I sound like a 1950s racist I know but I just can't wrap my head around not respecting local values. It's a tough situation, Japan can't be closed forever, but then it's not Japan anymore.

 

[Glaucus]

Fucked up situation all around, just look at the 'related news.' I am glad Japan is prosecuting as compared to the US which won't even investigate.

"Woman arrested, accused of stealing bonsai in New Orleans":

https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/12/12/woman-arrested-stealing-bonsai-new-orleans

"Phong Yang, 36, Accused Of Stealing Rare Bonsai Trees Worth Thousands":

Phong Yang, 36, Accused Of Stealing Rare Bonsai Trees Worth Thousands

Investigators say that Phong Yang stole Bonsai trees worth nearly $14,000 in one incident, and worth almost $8,800 in a different incident -- both were taken from the same residence, and one of the trees stolen was believed to be more than 250 years old.

www.cbsnews.com

"The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested 35-year-old Troy Stuart after allegedly being caught prowling near where two bonsai trees worth $7,000 were stolen days earlier."

Florida man with underwear around neck found prowling near $7K bonsai tree theft: Cops

Cops found a Florida man wearing a pair of underwear around his neck prowling near where two bonsai trees worth $7,000 were stolen days earlier, a press release said.

lawandcrime.com

Stop saying police 'won't even investigate'. It's a lie.
Yes, these minor thefts are often not solved. Police work isn't magic.
You need evidence or leads. Sadly, it is not possible to solve every crime. And maybe some police departments are indeed underfunded. But claims like these are silly and not helpful.

There was a time on this forum where people claimed these thefts didn't happen in Japan. Or, only happened in the US. It seems that myth was successfully busted. But now we have a new one.

 

[Cadillactaste]

The FB auction site has strict rules about imports. I know they have banned one of the main sellers of questionable provenance, although I don’t know the details of why, I can surmise.

Ahhhh didn't know that. Maybe his location? Shipping into the states. IP address might shed light there? Honestly...clueless. Just a guess.

 

[NaoTK]

It's assumed statements like mine are qualified, like the "sky is blue"

I was referring to the recent string of California thefts where nothing was done/can be done. The spirit of my comment was from my actual experience of police work in Japan vs US. Japan is ridiculously thorough about minor things.

 

[Glaucus]

It's assumed statements like mine are qualified, like the "sky is blue"

I was referring to the recent string of California thefts where nothing was done/can be done

Yeah, because the Democrats made crime under $950 legal in California, right?
To stay in the 'the sky is blue'-territory. Nowhere in your post did you ever use the world 'California'.
Also, you went into some random rant on how Japan in changing 'because there's too many foreigners' and 'I probably sound racist but ...', and you don't like it.

This isn't the safe space for these kinds of ideas that you may think it is. I assume you are a Japanese American that has been living in the US for many decades. I don't want to read some random racist ideas about how foreigners are ruining Japan.
Not from an actual racist old person actually living in Japan. And certainly not from an American tourist.
There's been plenty of bonsai thefts in Japan, by actual Japanese.
And don't get me started on the yakuza and satsuki bonsai.

 

[rockm]

Yeah, because the Democrats made crime under $950 legal in California, right?
To stay in the 'the sky is blue'-territory. Nowhere in your post did you ever use the world 'California'.
Also, you went into some random rant on how Japan in changing 'because there's too many foreigners' and 'I probably sound racist but ...', and you don't like it.

This isn't the safe space for these kinds of ideas that you may think it is. I assume you are a Japanese American that has been living in the US for many decades. I don't want to read some random racist ideas about how foreigners are ruining Japan.
Not from an actual racist old person actually living in Japan. And certainly not from an American tourist.
There's been plenty of bonsai thefts in Japan, by actual Japanese.
And don't get me started on the yakuza and satsuki bonsai.

Oh for crying out loud the Dems didn’t legalize thect under $950. That amount is used by STATE LAWS to determine punishment levels. Under $900 or whatever the state determines petty theft and grand larcency Petty theft is a misdemeanor (as in fine, public service) while larcency is a felony (as in prison time)

And fwiw. Never been to Japan but have heard that many crimes there including murder aren’t reported as crimes as such. Don’t know if that’s true though

 

[NaoTK]

"Japan is changing" has directly affected my life and my family's life for decades, so I see everything through this lens. No amount of Googling can replace my experience of change. It was not right for me to link bonsai thefts to immigration in Japan, but I see everything through the lens of demographic change in Japan, good and bad. My home town was wrecked by the Bubble, and has been saved by foreign tourism, but it is absolutely not the same town.

 

[rockm]

"Japan is changing" has directly affected my life and my family's life for decades, so I see everything through this lens. No amount of Googling can replace my experience of change. It was not right for me to link bonsai thefts to immigration in Japan, but I see everything through the lens of demographic change in Japan, good and bad. My home town was wrecked by the Bubble, and has been saved by foreign tourism, but it is absolutely not the same town.

You can never go home again isn’t just a novels title. It’s the truth and it’s kind of universal. My Appalachian hometown was burnt out with meth and oxy epidemics over the last 30 years. It was idyllic when I grew up there but now it’s a pale shadow of itself. The mills and industry that supported it left and everything fell in.