NPA to toughen ID rules for metal dealers amid surge in stolen AC units
A surge in metal thefts across Japan has prompted the National Police Agency to draft stricter identification rules for secondhand metal dealers in order to prevent the resale of stolen goods.
The draft amendment to the regulations of the Secondhand Goods Business Act, announced Thursday, would require metal dealers to verify sellers' identities and keep detailed transaction records for at least three years.
The revision targets specific high-risk items such as outdoor air conditioner units, outdoor electric water heaters, drainage grates and electric cables — all of which have become common targets of theft. The measure is expected to take effect on Oct. 1 and includes penalties for noncompliance.
The move follows the enactment of a metal theft prevention law on June 13. The law focuses specifically on scrap metals, such as severed copper wiring, and aims to prevent thefts at the source.
Thursday's regulatory revision comes amid a sharp rise in thefts targeting outdoor air conditioning units.
According to the NPA, there were 3,397 reported cases of stolen outdoor air conditioning units in 2024 — an alarming thirteenfold increase compared to 2020. The copper wiring inside, which has surged in price in recent years, is believed to be the target of such thefts.
Recent arrests have further underscored the scale of the problem.
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested three Vietnamese men accused of stealing nearly ¥1.2 million worth of copper cables from a closed waste disposal facility in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, among other crimes. Investigators believe the suspects are linked to dozens of similar cases across the country.
On June 20, NHK reported that three Cambodian nationals had been arrested for copper wire theft in five prefectures, including Ibaraki and Chiba, with the damages amounting to ¥118 million.
Information from Jiji added
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Tokyo Reported
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The Mainichi
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Yomiuri Shimbun
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