TOKYO - Theft of air conditioner outdoor units has surged as Japan's heatwave continues, leaving some businesses unable to run critical cooling systems.
Surveillance footage from Hachioji, Tokyo, captured around 9 p.m. on July 19th, shows individuals loading what appears to be an air conditioner outdoor unit and bundled cables onto a truck. The footage continues, revealing two people struggling to carry a box. According to the victim, items stolen included water heaters and copper pipes.
A photo taken last month in a residential area in Chiba Prefecture shows a missing outdoor unit.
Victim: "When I realized it was stolen, I was shocked. One room is now used as storage since it's too hot to enter during the day."
The theft of outdoor units is becoming more frequent. Being placed outdoors makes them easy targets, and the rising price of copper used in their parts adds to the problem.
Over the past year, domestic copper prices have risen approximately 30%. Since the beginning of this year, the price per ton has increased by 400,000 yen. According to the National Police Agency, there were 16,276 reported cases of metal theft, including outdoor units, nationwide last year, up by about 6,000 cases from the previous year.
In Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, a gyoza shop known for its juicy dumplings is bustling during lunchtime. However, the shop fell victim to outdoor unit theft.
Seishun Gyoza Owner, Noboru Ishikawa: "The outdoor unit was here. It was cut and taken away a week ago. Despite running the air conditioner 24 hours, it was gone the next morning."
The dedicated preparation area near the shop was affected.
Ishikawa: "I couldn't believe it. I didn't think it could be stolen, so I hadn't taken any precautions or installed security cameras."
A photo from last year shows the outdoor unit in place. When the staff measured the outside temperature, it was 36°C, but inside the workspace, it reached 40.3°C due to the lack of air conditioning.
In Shimotsuma, near Joso, temperatures have exceeded 35°C for four days this month. The impact of the stolen outdoor unit is significant.
Ishikawa: "We’ve stopped preparations here. With such high temperatures, there's a risk of heatstroke for workers and food poisoning or quality decline for ingredients. Now, we prepare in the shop in the morning, reducing the amount we can make. We’ve had to stop shipments to some clients, resulting in a loss of about 300,000 yen in sales."
When contacting a supplier, Ishikawa was told, "The outdoor unit is more expensive than the indoor unit." Due to the planned closure of the workspace by the end of September, he decided not to purchase a new unit.
Ishikawa: "I want the thief to imagine the situation we're in without air conditioning during this season."
Source: ANN
