The number of car thefts reported to police during 2005 across Japan went down 20.4 percent from the previous year to 46,728, dipping below the 50,000 line for the first time since 1999, according to the National Police Agency.
Car thefts surged from about 36,000 in 1998 to a peak of about 64,000 in 2003. "Enhanced parking security and other theft prevention efforts by both the public and private sectors paid off," an NPA official said.
The NPA said, however, some stolen recreational vehicles were fitted with immobilizers, antitheft devices that use special keys with computer chips that do not allow the car to start when any other keys are used. Analyzing thieves' methods and implementing new security measures are an urgent task, the NPA said.
The NPA said 33,500 cars were stolen even though their keys were not in the ignition, about 72 percent of the total.
By prefecture, Aichi was worst hit for the third year in a row, with 6,500 cars stolen, followed by Osaka at 6,000, Saitama at 5,300, Chiba at 5,000 and Kanagawa at 3,300. The number in Osaka nearly halved from 11,500 in 2001.
Hyogo, Ibaraki, Fukuoka, Gunma and Tokyo comprised the rest of the worst-hit 10 prefectures.
Among the worst 10, Kanagawa saw the most dramatic reduction, from 2004 by 46.1 percent, or 2,800 cars, followed by Fukuoka, by 32.1 percent, or 900 cars. The number in Tokyo fell by 30.5 percent, or 600 cats, and in Aichi by 25.8 percent, or 2,200 cars.
In contrast, the rate of increase was the highest in Gunma, up 18.0 percent, or 200 cars, followed by Ibaraki, up 12.7 percent, or 200 cars, and Chiba, up 11.8 percent, or 500 cars.