Photo/Illutration Now in custody as a robbery-murder suspect, Mazuki Takarada said he was tricked into taking a home invasion job and followed through because the employer had his personal information. (Arisa Inaba)

Let's say you signed up for a part-time job and were sent to a university research lab, where a famous experiment on obedience was being conducted by U.S. social psychologist Stanley Milgram (1933-1984).

Your task was simple: You administer a memory test to a person in the adjoining room and every time the person gives a wrong answer, you press a switch that sends an electric shock.

The voltage rose with each click, which would cause the person to start groaning and eventually scream in agony, "Let me out of here!" But your orders were to keep going.

Actually, all the electric shocks were fake.

Also, the experiment was designed in such a way that if you really wanted to stop participating, you were free to do so at any time.

However, as Milgram found out, 60 percent of participants stayed and kept pressing the switch.

How cruel can human beings be? The latest spree of vicious home invasions in the greater Tokyo area reminded me of Milgram's experiment.

Perpetrators reportedly received instructions on a smartphone from a criminal gang, broke into people's homes and threatened their lives.

The fact that some of those criminals look just like ordinary young men fills me with dread. It feels as if this signifies the breakdown of the very norms of civilized society.

According to police reports, the 22-year-old suspect who was arrested in a robbery-murder case in Yokohama initially believed that he had signed up for a legitimate part-time job and therefore never intended to commit a crime.

But his employers' demands kept escalating, trapping him until he didn't know how to get out.

The masterminds behind this criminal enterprise remain well hidden. Since they hold their enlistees' personal information hostage, the latter are essentially blackmailed into submission for fear of them or their families being harmed.

The National Police Agency is cognizant of this and has produced a video urging would-be felons to reach out, promising, "We will definitely protect you and your family."

In some of Milgram's experiments, some participants physically trembled as they tried to disobey orders.

Even would-be criminals in the home invasion gang must experience moments of self-conflict, wondering if they should keep going.

And that's exactly when they should turn back. Once their mind is made up, they can get out for certain.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 22

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.