Car thefts are on the rise in Japan as used car prices remain high, with some stolen cars being resold in the country after vehicle identification numbers stamped on engine compartments are changed, and others being illegally exported abroad.
In July last year, Aichi Prefectural Police arrested two men, including a car dealer, on suspicion of fraud for allegedly getting a vehicle inspected after changing its identification number.
According to informed sources, the two, who escaped indictment, cut out the identification number of a car that had been destroyed in an accident and whose registration had been temporarily erased, and put it on a stolen car of the same model. The stolen car was then logged as the vehicle whose registration had been temporarily erased and resold with a vehicle inspection certificate.