NAGOYA—The Lexus LX, Toyota Motor Corp.’s luxury SUV, is not only popular among wealthy drivers, but it is also the preferred target of car thieves in Aichi Prefecture.

One in every five LXs owned in the central Japan prefecture has been stolen, according to statistics.

One incident on the evening of April 15 underscores the sophistication of the thieves’ methods in dodging security measures and avoiding witnesses.

An LX was parked in a coin-operated parking lot in Nagoya’s Kinsan district, the largest downtown area in the Tokai region.

The parking lot faces an intersection, has a convenience store in front of it, and is surrounded by restaurants and sex parlors.

Despite the constant flow of people in the area and the several surveillance cameras installed in the parking lot, the thieves still managed to steal the LX without anyone noticing.

Another LX had been stolen on the night of April 4 to 5 at a housing complex in the city’s Higashi Ward.

Although its parking lot is closed with shutters at night, the perpetrator apparently broke into the premises through a self-locking doorway for residents. The on-site apartment caretaker was unaware of the theft because there was no alarm or other indication of criminal behavior.

The current LX model, priced at more than 10 million yen ($90,800), was released in Japan in 2015. It is also highly popular in the used car market.

According to Aichi prefectural police, 119 LXs were stolen in 2020, far exceeding the second-place Prius (79) and the third-place Land Cruiser (32).

The Automobile Inspection and Registration Information Association said 605 LXs were owned in the prefecture as of March 2020, meaning that nearly 20 percent of the vehicles were stolen.

This year, 66 LXs had been stolen in the prefecture by the end of May.

SOPHISTICATED THEFTS

Police suspect several theft rings are operating in Aichi Prefecture. Investigators have analyzed security camera footage and used other means to find the perpetrators.

Prefectural police arrested an unemployed man, 19, and a 33-year-old car painter on suspicion of stealing an LX. The two are believed to be members of the same group.

Later, on June 16, police arrested a 37-year-old self-employed worker who is believed to belong to another theft ring.

However, the three LXs believed to have been stolen by the two rings have yet to be found.

In many cases, stolen luxury cars are quickly disassembled for export and then reassembled for sale.

“The LX is highly popular worldwide. Theft rings are desperate to meet demand, and they try to steal the LX whenever they catch sight of it,” an investigative source said.

Car thieves have deployed increasingly sophisticated methods year after year.

They are known to use a device that deactivates the car immobilizer, an electronic anti-theft system, and to launch “relay attacks,” which disrupt radio waves emitted by smart keys.

A fairly new auto theft technique, dubbed “CAN Invader” in Japan, exploits the Controller Area Network (CAN bus) and is particularly difficult to prevent.

According to Pro-Tecta, a car security company based in Okazaki in the prefecture, the CAN bus controls computer systems for components, such as the engine, lights and airbags, in modern automobiles. Thieves can unlock doors by using a special device to gain direct access to the network and give commands.

This hacking method is believed to have started about two years ago in the prefecture.

Relay attacks can be prevented by putting the key in a metal can that blocks the radio wave. But there is no such defensive measure yet that can thwart the CAN Invader method.

“In addition to using tire locks and a steering wheel lock, you need to install a sensor-equipped alarm that emits sound and light signals to discourage thieves by showing that you’re well-prepared,” said Hiroshi Kamijo, 52, who works at Pro-Tecta.

PARTS ALSO TARGETED

Cars and bicycles have often been targeted by thieves for their parts, particularly license plates, which can be used in other crimes.

According to prefectural police, 1,179 cases of parts theft were reported in 2020, including 674 stolen license plates.

Although the overall number has been decreasing, license plate thefts continue to account for about half of all cases.

Car theft rings place these license plates on stolen vehicles for transport to avoid detection by security cameras or pursuit by police. In some cases, they repeatedly replace the license plate during transport, or they cut up license plates and merge the parts to create a fake one, police said.

The thieves may also put a stolen license plate on a car taken in a different place and then use that vehicle to travel to the location of a crime.

Stolen license plates are apparently traded in the underground market.

“(Stolen plates) have become a key tool for criminals," a police source said.

Prefectural police are calling on motorists to use anti-theft screws to install their license plates.

(This article was written by Koichi Fujimaki and Ayami Ko.)