TOKYO - A wave of copper thefts has struck public facilities across Japan, with thieves stripping metal from bridges, park shelters and shrines, including a park known as a popular anime pilgrimage site, while police in Nagano Prefecture have made arrests following a series of similar incidents.
In Okayama City, four copper plaques displaying the names of bridges and other information were stolen, while authorities in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture, discovered on October 17 that copper roofing had been removed from a rest shelter at Yuden no Sato Park, a location known among anime fans as a pilgrimage destination.
The thieves stripped copper sheets from the shelter's roof, causing an estimated 1.3 million yen in damage. The city plans to repair the structure using metal panels that are less attractive to thieves.
In Iijima, Nagano Prefecture, a shrine located in a remote mountain area was also targeted, with thieves removing all the copper sheets covering its roof.
The theft was discovered on October 12 when an official from the organization responsible for maintaining the shrine visited the site for cleaning and found the entire copper covering missing.
Takahiro Arai, head of the Iijima district association that manages the shrine, expressed anger over the incident, saying the isolated location had apparently allowed the thieves to operate without fear of being noticed.
"Because the shrine is deep in the mountains with nobody around, I think the thieves were able to strip everything off without restraint. It makes me absolutely furious," Arai said.
Similar copper thefts have been reported in seven municipalities across Nagano Prefecture since August 2026, and authorities have made arrests in connection with the incidents.
The repeated thefts have raised concerns about the vulnerability of public infrastructure and religious sites, particularly those in isolated locations where metal fixtures can be removed without attracting attention.
