Japan recorded 9,522 cases of metal cables theft from solar power plants between January 2023 and June of this year, a National Police Agency (NPA) survey showed Thursday.
The survey was the first to be conducted by the NPA on the situation, at a time when metal prices are rising.
The NPA is considering regulations to tackle the situation, as scrap metal buyers are not currently obliged to check the identity of sellers.
According to the survey, the number of cases ofmetal cable thefts from solar power plants reached 5,361 in 2023 and then 4,161 during the first half of 2024. About 90% of these cases occurred in the Kanto region, including Ibaraki Prefecture with 2,802 cases, Tochigi Prefectures with 1,774 cases and Chiba Prefecture with 1,691 cases.
In such cases, police had identified 121 suspects as of the end of June, including 64 Cambodians and 45 Japanese. Citizens from Cambodian and other countries are believed to be repeatedly conspiring to commit the crime.
On Monday, the NPA instructed prefectural police departments nationwide to set up special task forces and strengthen efforts to crack down on theft groups as well as malicious metal dealers, who buy metal cables that they know are stolen goods.
The NPA is also considering a law to regulate such metal dealers, as those who buy cut cables, which are not considered second-hand goods, are not subject to the secondhand goods business law, which requires records of transactions and identity checks.