JapanForum.com - Japanese pickpocketers?

I'd like to know the type of pickpocketing thieves the country of Japan has. Tell me about them and their scams. Have you, personally, ever had any trouble with pickpocketers in Japan? Or do you know of any stories from other people who have?

I plan on flying to Japan in 2012 and would like to keep the pickpocketing scams in mind, to prevent me being a victim. I'll share with you my experience, as I've been pickpocketed before. Please share with me yours in Japan. The story is: While on vacation in Barcelona, Spain, in November 2011, I was a victim of being pickpocketed. It was group of three - two women and a man. The routine by the three crooks was, in the one minute's time before the doors close on a subway car, to put a map of Barcelona in front of the victim's face and ask for directions, to distract him, while one other takes the wallet. What sense does that make? Why would a native Barcelonan ask a tourist for directions? After taking the wallet, the scammers then act as if they were about to take the wrong subway and therefore board off seconds before the doors close, with the victim's wallet in-hand. Their plan is to let the victim remain in the subway car, as it commutes to the next stop, with no wallet. I suppose the third person is there to outnumber the tourist/victim and have another fighter available to fight with the tourist/victim, should the tourist/victim realize what's going on and try go fight back to retrieve his wallet. Fortunately, I found my wallet on the ground with my credit cards and state issued driver's license in-tact. The theives stole only the cash - 150 Euros and $100 American dollars. I wonder, is there a Barcelona, Spain souvenir t-shirt that reads: "I was pickpocketed in Barcelona. Fortunately, I bought this lousy t-shirt before the thieves stole my wallet!" I'm very interested in buying this t-shirt, as it will help me reflect on the bad time I had while I vacation in Spain.

I'm a large American man, but if Japanese thieves outnumber me (as say the Spanish thieves did), then I'd be a victim again.