On March 11, 2025, amid increasing instances of cable theft from solar power plants, Japan’s Cabinet passed a bill proposing the new “Stolen Specified Metal Item Disposal Prevention Act.” The bill was submitted to the Diet on the same day.
The proposed law requires scrap metal buyers to verify the identity of sellers and retain records of having done so for three years. It also requires such businesses to report encounters of suspected stolen goods. Failure to comply is punishable by up to six-month business suspension, imprisonment of up to one year, and a fine of up to one million yen.
The law also penalizes operating a scrap metal buying business without the required license or letting other company use such license, with imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to one million yen.
Lastly, the bill proposes banning concealed carry of designated metal cutting tools, such as cable and bolt cutters, without a legitimate reason. It proposes an up to six months prison sentence and a fine of up to 500,000 yen as punishment.
Initially, the law would only apply to copper. Both the applicable metals, which are expected to vary depending on market prices, and tools prohibited from concealed carry are to be further specified through ordinances.
In recent years, cable theft has become a significant issue for solar power plant owners. National Police Agency statistics show that metal theft cases grew from about 5,500 in 2020 to over 16,000 in 2023. In the first half of 2024, the number of cases reached over 10,000.
Between September 2022 and July 2023, seven individuals were arrested for allegedly stealing cables worth about 254 million yen from solar power plants in Ibaraki and four other prefectures. They reportedly sold the stolen cables to a scrap metal dealer in Gunma, who is also suspected of purchasing stolen cables from another group.
