Key Facts
• In April 2025, a 51-year-old man named Takakazu Shirai was arrested.
• Shirai photographed a female colleague’s key using his smartphone.
• He used the photo to create a duplicate key online.
• The suspect broke into the home of a female university student 13 times.
• He stole two printed photo stickers during one of the break-ins.
• Shirai targeted the victim’s home while she was at work.
• The suspect admitted to the crime, citing personal feelings for the victim.
Summary
Takakazu Shirai, a 51-year-old former store manager, was arrested for breaking into a female university student’s home multiple times using a duplicate key created from a smartphone photo. Shirai admitted to photographing the victim’s key, which was in her bag, and using the image to order a duplicate key online. Over the course of at least 13 break-ins, Shirai stole two printed photo stickers and confessed to having personal feelings for the victim. The incidents occurred while the victim was at work, highlighting a breach of trust and privacy.
