Automobile thefts have decreased noticeably as more cars are equipped with systems to protect them from being stolen, according to the Marine and Fire Insurance Association of Japan.
The finding is based on the association's analysis of auto theft insurance payment data in November 2000 and 2001.
In the case of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Celsior luxury car, the number of stolen units came to 78 last November, down from 138 a year earlier.
The installation of immobilizers in the Celsior series became standard in July 1997, and thefts of the 1998 model and thereafter have decreased sharply, the association said.
The immobilizer keeps a car disabled until information stored on a computer chip in the car key matches the vehicle's registered identification number.
The number of thefts involving Toyota Land Cruiser sport utility vehicles dropped to 99 in November 2001 from 267 in the same month of 2000.
More than 63,000 vehicles were stolen in 2001. Auto theft insurance payments by property and casualty insurance companies totaled some 59.3 billion yen in fiscal 2001.
Most insurance companies cut premiums for automobiles equipped with immobilizers.