Photo/Illutration Special equipment used in car thefts known as “relay attacks” shown at Saitama prefectural police's Koshigaya Police Station on Nov. 1, 2022 (Emiko Arimoto)

A 37-year-old Colombian man is the first to be arrested in Japan on suspicion of violating the Radio Law by using a special device in the theft of a keyless car. 

Saitama prefectural police announced on July 5 that it arrested the man that day for possessing special equipment for stealing cars through a method called a "relay attack."

The man, who has no occupation, told police that he would “remain silent” about the charges.

Police arrested the suspect on suspicion of setting up a "radio station" by placing radio equipment inside a car without obtaining a license to operate such a station from the telecommunications ministry. 

The incident occurred in Tokyo’s Minato Ward before 6 a.m. on June 15, 2022. The stolen car is deemed where the radio station was set up. The man caused an accident with the car and police found the equipment used in committing a relay attack inside it.

The prefectural police have confirmed that the equipment emits radio signals that are stronger than allowed under the law.

They also confirmed that the equipment can relay the signal from the cars’ key fob.

The prefectural police concluded that they can regard the equipment as a radio station after consulting with the telecommunications ministry, under whose jurisdiction the Radio Law falls, and the National Police Agency.

The man was already under arrest by the prefectural police on suspicion of stealing a luxury car in July last year. He was indicted on the charge in August.

This is the first case in which police deemed special equipment that relays the signal from a smart key to unlock the car doors and start the vehicle as a radio station and arrested a suspect.

Police believe that going forward, they can use the Radio Law to arrest people for possessing such devices, preventing car thefts as a result.

Such special equipment used in relay attacks picks up weak signals emanating from the vehicles' key fob.

Then the equipment emits a radio signal to illegally unlock vehicles that use smart keys and enable the engines to start.

Many car thefts using such special equipment have occurred since around 2016.

Car thefts have continued rising, with the number reported last year totaling 5,734, up 552 from the previous year.

But police arrested suspects in only 2,612 car thefts last year, 56 more than in the previous year.

One senior police officer said that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to investigate car thefts every year.

In many cases, groups of car thieves transport the stolen cars to salvage yards, which are sites surrounded by walls or fences, where they dismantle or keep the cars.

Police were using GPS to track stolen cars. They attached GPS terminals to suspects' vehicles to identify locations of illicit salvage yards.

But police were accused of invading people’s privacy in using this investigative method.

Police haven’t been able to use this method since the Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that it “amounts to an invasion into private territories by public authorities.”

This situation led Saitama prefectural police to consider applying the Radio Law to tackle car thefts.

By using the law, police can arrest car theft suspects if they can find special equipment such as the one used in the case under investigation by the prefectural police.

A senior prefectural police officer hopes that using the Radio Law will prevent car thefts.

The officer said it will allow police to use more diverse methods in investigating vehicle thefts and will act as a deterrent against such thieves.

Related News