Residents Warned After Reports of Unauthorized Entry and Farm Equipment Collection Claims

Unwanted item collection operators appearing in rural areas

In recent years, various items containing metal parts have been subject to theft. In particular, solar power generation equipment, outdoor air conditioner units, and water meters are frequently targeted. As the prices of metals such as iron and copper rise, devices containing large amounts of metal components have become targets for theft groups, causing serious damage.

In Yokohama City, thefts of water meters have occurred one after another. In April alone (as of the 17th), 71 meters were stolen, resulting in total damages of 192,080 yen. Theft of outdoor air conditioner units is also common; according to the National Police Agency, there were 3,397 theft cases in 2024—an increase of about 13 times over the past five years.

Against this backdrop, revisions to the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Antiquities Business Act came into effect on October 1, 2025. Items such as electric wires and outdoor air conditioner units now require identity verification regardless of transaction value. However, thefts targeting metal components continue to occur, and it is said that farm equipment is the next target.

Farm equipment can sometimes be sold at high prices. It also contains many metal parts. Possibly having noticed this, foreigners going around rural areas saying, “If you don’t need it, I’ll take it away,” have recently begun appearing.

At the home of Mr. A, who grows rice and vegetables in a Kanto region prefecture, a foreign man claiming to be an unwanted item collection operator came. “He entered the property without permission, and it was frightening,” he recalled.

He came again even though he had been refused

“In early April, two Asian foreign men suddenly came to our house and said, ‘We are collecting unwanted items.’ When I went outside, they had already entered the property without permission and were walking around, pointing at farm equipment, hoes, and shovels that were stored there, saying, ‘If you don’t need these, we can take them for free.’

Since it’s a rural area, the property is large, and we are also partly at fault for leaving things somewhat loosely stored, but everything they pointed at is still in use and not unwanted. They were even pointing at items in places you wouldn’t notice at first glance, so I felt scared, wondering how they knew those things were there.”

Because of the intimidating behavior of the suddenly appearing Asian unwanted item collectors, A-san felt he might be harmed and was unable to warn them even as they walked around the property freely. The first time, he sent them away by saying, “Everything is in use, we can’t give it to you.”

However, the following week, the same two men came again and asked, “Do you have any unwanted items?”

“They said, ‘How about it? Do you have anything you don’t need yet?’ No matter how many times they came, it was the same. They kept smiling and walking around the property without permission, pointing at agricultural tools. There’s nothing valuable in a rural place like this, but I started to think they might be part of the theft groups I’ve seen in newspapers and on the news. When I told them, ‘We have no intention of giving anything, please leave,’ and closed the door, it took about five minutes before they finally left,” A-san said.

When A-san told a nearby farming acquaintance about this, he replied, “They came to my place too. It was the same—walking around the property and pointing at farm tools, which was very annoying.” After considering the possibility of aggressive scam buying or reconnaissance for theft, they contacted the police and requested patrols. After that, the foreigners stopped coming.

Such cases of coercive purchasing similar to doorstep buying scams are also being reported online:

“Foreigners came saying they would collect unwanted farm equipment, but since it wasn’t a purchase, I ignored them. Even though it was covered with a blue sheet, I wonder how they knew where it was. It might lead to theft, like batteries used to be stolen in the past.”

“I live in a rural area in the Chugoku region, and for the past few years, Asian metal buyers have started coming deep into the mountains. Around the same time, there have been many thefts of metal farm equipment and brush cutters in my neighborhood.”

In rural areas, the number of unwanted item collection operators is increasing, and theft of farm equipment is also on the rise. According to tractor theft statistics published by the Ibaraki Prefectural Police in 2025, tractors ranked fifth among the most stolen vehicle types—after popular models like the Prius and Land Cruiser—accounting for 4.8% of all stolen vehicles. For theft groups, even farm machinery has become a viable target.

Due to rising metal prices, many items are being targeted in the used goods market. Some of these unwanted item collectors are suspected of operating without a proper antiques dealer license. Free collection of unwanted items often requires a general waste collection permit. In addition, there is also the possibility that these groups are scouting for theft, so if suspicious operators appear, it is advisable not to engage with them and to contact the police.

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