Robbery - Gotouzai

This is a crime of taking property from another person, or obtaining or making another person obtain financial benefits, by using violence or intimidation to the extent that it suppresses the other person's resistance (Article 236 of the Penal Code). The punishment is imprisonment for a fixed term of five years or more. For example, this crime would be committed if someone were to threaten someone with a knife or pistol, or tie their hands and feet, so that they could not resist, and then steal money or valuables or avoid debts.

Robbery, together with theft (Article 235 of the same law), is stipulated in Chapter 36, "Theft and Robbery Crimes." Both crimes have in common that property is taken from the victim against their will. However, unlike theft, robbery also has the character of a crime against the person and an assault crime in that the perpetrator uses violence and intimidation to the extent that the victim resists in taking the property.

Robbery is similar to extortion (Article 249 of the same law) in that it uses violence and intimidation as a means of infringing on property, but the two crimes are distinguished by whether the violence and intimidation are sufficient to suppress the other party's resistance. In extortion, violence and intimidation are used as a means to cause the other party to have a defective intention (unwillingness). Whether the violence and intimidation are sufficient to suppress the other party's resistance is objectively determined by taking into account various circumstances, such as the presence or absence of a weapon, the presence or absence of an accomplice, the time and place of the crime, and the gender and age of the victim. Therefore, as long as there is violence and intimidation that is objectively sufficient to suppress the resistance of an ordinary person, even if the other party is not suppressed from resisting, the person cannot escape attempted robbery (Article 243 of the same law).

Under the current Criminal Code, there is a distinction between robbery under Article 1 (robbery of property) and robbery under Article 2 (robbery of profit), depending on whether the object of the robbery is property or financial gain. An example of robbery under Article 2 is a case in which a taxi passenger strangles the driver until he loses consciousness in order to avoid paying the taxi fare.

There are two types of crimes similar to robbery (called quasi-robbery): robbery after the fact and robbery by intoxication. Robbery after the fact is a crime in which a thief obtains property and then uses violence or intimidation to suppress the other person's resistance in order to prevent the property from being taken back, or to avoid arrest or to cover up the crime (Article 238 of the same law). In this case, the thief does not care whether the theft was completed or attempted if the purpose was to avoid arrest or to cover up the crime, but in the case of preventing the recovery of property, it includes not only completed thefts but also attempted thefts in which the other person is fighting over possession. Next, robbery by intoxication is a crime in which a person intoxicates another person by means other than violence or intimidation in order to infringe on the other person's property (Article 239 of the same law). In this case, "intoxication" refers to the use of sleeping pills, drugs, poisons, hypnosis, etc. to cause a temporary or continuous impairment of the other person's consciousness. The statutory penalties for robbery and quasi-robbery are the same. However, if the perpetrator takes advantage of the victim's already unconscious state to steal their property, this is not considered a crime but a theft crime. Also, if the perpetrator puts the victim into a coma through violence or intimidation, this is not considered a crime of robbery by intoxication, but a robbery crime.

Robbery is a serious crime, so not only attempted robbery but also preparatory robbery is punishable (Articles 243 and 237 of the same law). In addition, since it is often the case that robbers kill or injure people or engage in forced intercourse during the act, the law provides for the aggravated types of robbery, including the crime of robbery resulting in death or injury (Article 240 of the same law) and the crimes of robbery and forced intercourse, etc. resulting in death, attempted robbery and forced intercourse, etc., and attempted robbery and forced intercourse, etc. (Article 241 of the same law). According to these articles, the crime of robbery resulting in injury is punishable by life imprisonment or imprisonment for six years or more, and the crime of robbery and forced intercourse, etc. is punishable by life imprisonment or imprisonment for seven years or more, but if death is caused, the punishment is death or life imprisonment.

Regarding the hijacking of aircraft, there are provisions in the "Act on Punishment of Acts Such as Hijacking of Aircraft (Hijacking Punishment Act)."

[Nawa Tetsuro January 19, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

相手の反抗を抑圧する程度の暴行・脅迫を手段として、他人から財物を奪取し、または、財産上の利益を得たり、他人に得させたりする罪（刑法236条）。刑は5年以上の有期懲役である。たとえば、ナイフやピストルで脅したり、手足を縛り付けるなどの方法によって、相手が反抗できないようにして、金品を奪ったり、債務を免れたりする場合が本罪にあたる。

　強盗罪は、窃盗罪（同法235条）とともに第36章「窃盗及び強盗の罪」に規定されている。両罪は、被害者の意思に反して財物を奪取する点に共通性がある。ただ強盗罪は、窃盗罪と異なり、財物を奪取するにあたり相手の反抗を抑圧する程度の暴行・脅迫を加える点において、人身犯的および攻撃犯的な性格をも有する。

　強盗罪は、財産侵害の手段として暴行・脅迫を用いる点では、恐喝罪（同法249条）と類似するが、この暴行・脅迫が相手の反抗を抑圧する程度か否かにより両罪は区別される。恐喝罪では、相手に瑕疵(かし)のある意思（不本意な意思）を生じさせる手段として暴行・脅迫が用いられる。なお、暴行・脅迫が相手の反抗を抑圧する程度か否かは、凶器の有無、共犯者の存否、犯行の時間や場所、被害者の性別や年齢など諸般の事情を総合して客観的に判断される。したがって、客観的にみて通常人の反抗を抑圧する程度の暴行・脅迫が存在する以上、相手方が反抗を抑圧されるに至らなくても、強盗未遂罪（同法243条）を免れない。

　現行刑法には、強盗罪として強盗の客体が財物か財産上の利益かにより、1項強盗罪（財物強盗罪）と2項強盗罪（利益強盗罪）との区別がある。このうち、2項強盗罪の例として、タクシーの乗客が運転手の首を絞め失神させて、タクシー代を免れるような事案がこれにあたる。

　強盗罪に準じた犯罪類型（準強盗罪とよばれる）として事後強盗罪と昏酔(こんすい)強盗罪がある。事後強盗罪とは、窃盗犯人が財物を得てこれを取り返されることを防ぎ、または、逮捕を免れるためや罪跡を隠滅するために、相手の反抗を抑圧する程度の暴行・脅迫を加える罪である（同法238条）。ここに窃盗犯人とは、逮捕を免れる目的や罪跡を隠滅する目的の場合は窃盗が既遂か未遂かを問わないが、財物の取り返しを防ぐ目的の場合には既遂のほか占有を争っているような事案（未遂）も含まれる。次に、昏酔強盗罪とは、相手を暴行・脅迫以外の手段で昏酔させ財産を侵害する罪である（同法239条）。ここに「昏酔」させるとは、睡眠薬、薬物・毒物、催眠術などを用いて、相手の意識作用に一時的または継続的な障害を生じさせることをいう。強盗罪と準強盗罪は法定刑が同じである。ただ、被害者がすでに昏睡している状態を利用して財物を奪取する場合は、本罪ではなく窃盗罪に該当する。また、暴行・脅迫によって被害者を昏睡させる場合には、昏酔強盗罪ではなく、強盗罪にあたる。

　強盗罪は重大犯罪であるところから、その未遂犯はもとより、強盗予備罪も処罰される（同法243条、237条）。また、強盗犯人が犯行の機会に人を死傷させたり、強制性交等を行う場合がしばしばみられるところから、強盗罪の加重類型として、強盗致死傷罪（同法240条）および強盗強制性交等罪・強盗強制性交等致死罪・強盗未遂強制性交等罪・強盗強制性交等未遂罪（同法241条）が設けられている。両条によれば、強盗致傷罪は無期または6年以上の懲役、強盗強制性交等罪は無期または7年以上の懲役に処せられるが、死に致らしめたときはいずれも死刑または無期懲役に処せられる。

　なお、航空機の強取等（ハイジャック）に関しては、「航空機の強取等の処罰に関する法律（ハイジャック処罰法）」に規定がある。

［名和鐵郎　2018年1月19日］

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