TOKYO –
A wave of copper thefts has struck public amenities throughout Japan, with thieves stripping steel from bridges, park shelters and shrines, together with a park often known as a well-liked anime pilgrimage web site, whereas police in Nagano Prefecture have made arrests following a collection of comparable incidents.
In Okayama City, 4 copper plaques displaying the names of bridges and different info had been stolen, whereas authorities in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture, found on October 17 that copper roofing had been faraway from a relaxation shelter at Yuden no Sato Park, a location recognized amongst anime followers as a pilgrimage vacation spot.
The thieves stripped copper sheets from the shelter’s roof, inflicting an estimated 1.3 million yen in injury. The metropolis plans to restore the construction utilizing steel panels which can be much less engaging to thieves.
In Iijima, Nagano Prefecture, a shrine situated in a distant mountain space was additionally focused, with thieves eradicating all of the copper sheets masking its roof.
The theft was found on October 12 when an official from the group chargeable for sustaining the shrine visited the location for cleansing and located the whole copper masking lacking.
Takahiro Arai, head of the Iijima district affiliation that manages the shrine, expressed anger over the incident, saying the remoted location had apparently allowed the thieves to function with out concern of being observed.
“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 stated.
Similar copper thefts have been reported in seven municipalities throughout Nagano Prefecture since August 2026, and authorities have made arrests in reference to the incidents.
The repeated thefts have raised considerations in regards to the vulnerability of public infrastructure and spiritual websites, notably these in remoted areas the place steel fixtures may be eliminated with out attracting consideration.