TOCHIGI, Feb 05, 2026 (News On Japan) - Copper prices, which have been climbing partly due to the weaker yen, are now behind a growing wave of thefts across Japan, with criminals targeting everything from agricultural facilities to the roofs of remote mountain shrines.
Copper is an essential material used in a wide range of products, from smartphones to electrical cables, and its price has risen by roughly 50% over the past year, reaching a record high late last month, as demand expands for AI data centers, smartphones, and other technologies.
In Tochigi Prefecture, a shrine located deep in the mountains suffered extensive damage after copper roofing panels were stolen, with photographs showing that nearly half of the roof plates on one side had been removed, while the shrine reported to police that additional panels appeared to have been taken overnight, leaving the damage far worse by the following morning. The shrine is normally unattended except when local residents visit to pray, and officials said they were shocked that thieves would go so far as to enter a remote area and strip copper from the roof.
Traces believed to have been left by the perpetrators were later found near the site, with shrine officials noting that the objects were not present the previous day and may have been left behind by the thieves.
Similar incidents have been reported nationwide. In Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture, 12 copper plates bearing the names of bridges were stolen last month, causing damage estimated at 480,000 yen. In Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, a tourist site known for its plum blossoms suffered the theft of about 38 kilograms of copper roofing from a rest area in November last year, with the city now considering how to repair the damage amid concerns that the site could be targeted again.
In Fukuoka Prefecture, copper wiring was stolen from agricultural greenhouses, with one farmer discovering that about 10 meters of wire had been taken and saying that neighboring farmers had suffered similar losses, adding that the incidents had left the small community both saddened and frustrated.
The thefts escalated further when police arrested four men in their 20s about a month later on suspicion of stealing around 300 meters of copper wire and 83 copper cables from vinyl greenhouses, with investigators saying that three of the suspects admitted to the charges and told police they stole the copper for money.
Source: TBS
