The National Police Agency held a meeting to review countermeasures against metal theft. Of all metal theft cases, the rate of metal cable theft at solar power plants was 32.9% in 2023 and 38.7% as of the end of June 2024. In addition, victims were concentrated in the Kanto area (excluding Tokyo), and the rate of foreigners among those arrested was 60.7% in 2023 and 65.0% as of the end of June 2024.
Metal theft has been on the rise since statistics began to be collected in 2020, and the number of reported cases will be 16,276 in 2023 and 10,758 in 2024 (provisional figures from January to June). On the other hand, the number of solved cases will remain at 3,226 in 2023 (a resolution rate of 19.8%) and 2,274 in 2024 (21.1%). Furthermore, in terms of the number of cases recognized by the competent authorities in 2023, the Metropolitan Police Department/Kanto Prefecture will account for 62.6% of the total, and the top five prefectures (Ibaraki, Chiba, Tochigi, Gunma, and Saitama) will account for about half of the total.
Number of cases detected and arrested for metal theft
(Source: National Police Agency)
In 2023, metal cables caused 8,916 cases of damage (recorded cases), accounting for 54.8% of the total. By material, copper accounted for 8,437 cases, or 51.8%, due to the sharp increase in copper prices. The total damage was approximately 18,287 million yen. By item, metal cables accounted for approximately 80% with a value of approximately 10,981 million yen, and by material, copper accounted for approximately 70% with a value of approximately 9,779 million yen.
Metal theft damage status by object, material
(source: National Police Agency)
If metal cables are stolen from a solar power plant, it will have a major impact on society and businesses, such as stopping power generation for a certain period of time. In response, 17 provinces nationwide have issued scrap metal ordinances. According to the ordinance, scrap buyers are obliged to verify the identity of the other party, report to the police if they suspect that the product is fraudulent, and record it in their books. Some counties also have regulations regarding the appointment of managers, restrictions on transaction locations, and regulations on transactions with minors.
The prefectures that have issued the ordinance are Hokkaido, Ibaraki, Chiba (scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2025), Nagano, Shizuoka, Fukui, Gifu, Shiga, Osaka, Hyogo and Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Okinawa. Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture and Tokushima Prefecture. As of the end of 2023, the number of licenses based on the ordinance was 22,834 for businesses (businesses with a business headquarters and trading in scrap metal) and 11,960 for street vendors (businesses trading in scrap metal outside of their business headquarters). ).
In addition, the police are working with industry organizations and relevant ministries to improve the security measures of solar power generation companies. Study meetings were held with industry groups and relevant ministries in September 2023 and April 2025, crime prevention information was provided to businesses in November 2023, and recommended crime prevention measures were compiled in February 2024. In addition, the government has enacted the “Law on Prohibiting the Possession of Special Unlocking Tools,” which are often used in break-ins, as an approach to pre-crime groups.
Despite these countermeasures, the current problem is that the purchase of items damaged by metal theft does not necessarily comply with existing laws and regulations, making it difficult to verify the other party, declare any items suspected of fraud, and record transactions. Problems include: ``In many cases, scrap buyers are not notified'', ``It is impossible to grasp the actual status of scrap buyers through notifications'', and ``It is very easy to process (sell) stolen items, making it difficult to prevent the distribution of stolen items.''
Furthermore, the possession of tools such as cable cutters, which are commonly used to steal metal cables, is not regulated by any other law other than petty crime laws with light penalties and limited deterrent effect, making effective enforcement difficult. This means that
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