Ex-Nomura employee sentenced to 18 years in home robbery case
A former Nomura Holdings employee who was accused of arson, attempted murder and robbing an elderly client has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Japan court, local broadcaster TBS reported.
The district court in Hiroshima handed down the punishment against Yusei Kajiwara over the 2024 incident, which took place at the client’s home in the city. It wasn’t immediately clear what he was convicted of.
Prosecutors had requested a jail term of 20 years, saying Kajiwara rendered a victim unconscious with a sleep-inducing drug, stole cash and set a fire in an attempt to kill the person, according to local media reports. Kajiwara, 30, had admitted to the theft but denied any murderous intent.
The incident attracted widespread attention in Japan, where house calls by financial workers have long been a routine part of doing business. Nomura Chief Executive Officer Kentaro Okuda and other executives took pay cuts and issued public apologies, and the brokerage tightened rules on employee visits to clients’ homes.
“We sincerely apologize to the customers affected and to all others concerned for the significant inconvenience and distress this has caused,” a Nomura spokesperson said, while declining to comment on the judgment. “As a financial institution entrusted with our clients’ valuable assets, we take this matter extremely seriously and firmly recognize that such an incident must never happen again.”
The defendant’s lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Despite the incident, Nomura has seen a surge in business at its wealth management division as Japanese households invest more of their savings to protect wealth against inflation. The operation has been a stronghold for the firm, generating roughly a quarter of its revenue.
