Six Vietnamese Nationals Arrested for Possessing Cable Cutters, Suspected of Planning Copper Wire Theft — First Such Case in Okayama Prefecture
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
On June 26, 2026, the Soja Police Station of the Okayama Prefectural Police and other units arrested six Vietnamese men on the spot on suspicion of violating the metal-theft prevention law's regulations on tools used for crime. The men, who lived in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures among other places, worked as demolition workers, company employees, and temporary staff, or were unemployed. The charge stems from an allegation that at around 8:25 p.m. that day, they concealed an approximately 80-centimeter cable cutter without justifiable reason in the back seat of a car parked in a lot in Shimmoto, Soja City.
The Okayama Prefectural Police had been on alert after receiving information from another prefecture's police that there was a plan to steal copper wire from a solar power facility in Soja City. Officers spotted a car resembling the one on alert within the city, questioned its occupants, identified the allegations, and made the arrests. The metal-theft prevention law is a relatively new statute that took effect on September 1, 2025, and prohibits carrying cable cutters, among other tools, without justifiable reason. This arrest marked the first crackdown under the law in Okayama Prefecture.
Current status: The case is at the arrest stage; whether the suspects will be referred for prosecution or indicted had not been determined as of this writing.
Copper wire theft targeting solar power facilities has also occurred repeatedly in places such as Toyota City (related coverage), and is believed to be organized crime aimed at profiting from the sale of metal resources. What sets this case apart from others in which copper wire theft from solar facilities was actually carried out is that the suspects were caught before the crime could be executed.