Why did the faucet disappear?
To the destination I chased ... July 23, 11:23
This May.
There was a theft case in the storage of cultural properties in Shiga prefecture.
However, the cultural property is safe.
It was the faucet that was stolen.
Why on earth?
I didn't know at that time.
Shiga's faucet is connected to the world ...
(Otsu Broadcasting Station reporter Kanta Marushige)
"Faucet" from cultural properties
The scene of the incident is a storage of cultural properties in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture.
It is not a facility like a museum where people come to see the exhibition.
Earthenware and stone tools from the Jomon period to the Edo period are stored.
It accounts for 10% of the cultural properties excavated in Shiga prefecture.
This May.
The staff in charge who visits the regular inspection finds that the doorway is broken.
"A valuable cultural property ..." The
pale staff hurriedly checks the inside of the facility.
Then, the cultural property was safe.
Instead, the "faucet" was gone.
The wash basin was smashed and only the faucet was gone.
A total of 24 faucets were stolen.
This building was formerly used as a recreation center for prefecture staff.
Faucets everywhere, such as baths and wash basins, were stolen.
Mr. Yosuke Tainaka, Cultural Properties Protection Division, Shiga Prefecture
"I was relieved that the cultural properties were not damaged, but I was very surprised to learn that the faucet was stolen."
"Faucet" rather than a money box
Other damage has been caused by the faucet being stolen.
Ryuo Town with a population of 12,000.
It is a peaceful village surrounded by rice fields.
The shrine here was also damaged.
What was stolen was the faucet at the Chozuya, a place where you can clean your hands before worshiping.
There was a dragon-shaped faucet here.
In addition, there were no four bells about the size of a softball that was attached for use at festivals.
On the other hand, the money box was left untouched.
Both the dragon faucet and the bell are dedicated by the local people thinking of the shrine, and the representative of the shrine says that the local people have a great sense of loss.
Mr. Satoshi Ichioka, President of the shrine
"Economic loss is of course painful, but considering the feelings of the local people, that shock is bigger. Who stole it?"
Such damage that the faucet is stolen.
In fact, it has been happening all over the country since this spring.
In May, an incident occurred in Kanagawa prefecture where more than 100 faucets installed in the housing complex were stolen.
Damage to faucets being stolen has also been reported in Gifu and Kyoto prefectures.
Why did you aim at the faucet?
"Why are only faucets targeted?"
"Faucet" became my first interview theme as a reporter this spring.
As we proceeded with the interview, we found that the Shiga Prefectural Police had arrested a couple in Nagano Prefecture on suspicion of invading an accommodation facility that was out of business.
Further coverage revealed that a large number of faucets were found in the couple's car.
Some of them were stolen from closed accommodations in Toyama prefecture.
According to the police investigation, the two said, "While traveling in Kansai and Chubu by car, I entered an accommodation facility that was out of business and repeatedly stole the faucet."
According to police investigation, it is highly likely that the couple was also involved in the damage to the faucet that occurred in the storage in Nagahama City.
In addition, some of the facilities the couple invaded were already after the faucet had been stolen.
The couple said that they had made the following statement about the reason for stealing the faucet.
"I came to Shiga to resell the faucet and earn a living."
The purchase price of the faucet doubled last year
"Do
you
sell faucets?"
How much will it cost
?
I called the purchasers in the prefecture one after another.
Then, I visited the contractor who responded to the interview directly and interviewed.
Then I got an unexpected answer.
Representative of metal purchaser Mario Kanda
"This year is especially true, but the purchase price of faucets has almost doubled compared to last year."
Looking at the price list, the purchase price of the faucet was about 300 yen per kilo at the end of May last year, but this year it was 600 yen.
"Copper" contained in the faucet soars
It is said that the reason for the soaring price is the metal called "brass" that occupies most of the faucet.
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, more than half of which is copper.
It is said that the purchase price of faucets is soaring because the price of copper has risen at a stretch.
More than 1000 people have brought brass such as faucets to this trader.
This is about three times that of the same period last year.
In Shiga Prefecture, in order to prevent stolen items from being bought, the prefecture's ordinance stipulates that when purchasing metal, identity verification and record keeping should be kept.
The purchaser says that he is thoroughly verifying his identity based on the ordinance.
Police are also investigating the resale routes for stolen faucets around the world.
Why is the price of copper soaring?
Why is the price of copper soaring?
If you search on the net, you will find the word "highest price ever".
We asked Mr. Satoshi Yoshida, an expert who is familiar with the metal market.
Mr. Yoshida showed us a graph showing the changes in the international price of copper.
Copper prices are now about 1.5 times higher than last June.
In May, it hit a record high for the first time in 10 years.
Since then, copper prices have remained at historically high levels.
Mr. Yoshida points out that the new coronavirus has a great influence on the reason for the soaring prices.
Mr. Satoshi Yoshida, Rakuten Securities Economic Research Institute
"The new corona has increased the frequency of working remotely and taking classes. This has increased the need for electronic devices and electronic components, which is indispensable for their production. It is pushing up demand for copper. "
Background keywords: "China" and "monetary easing"
Furthermore, according to Mr. Yoshida, there are two keywords behind the soaring price of copper.
One is "China"
China accounts for half of the world's copper consumption.
China has curbed the infection of the new corona and its economy is recovering rapidly.
The recovery of China, which has a large population and high copper consumption, has created expectations that it will greatly boost copper consumption, and is a factor in raising prices.
The other is "monetary easing."
Countries such as the United States have implemented monetary easing in order to recover the economy that was depressed by the corona.
Monetary easing is simply the supply of money to the market.
It is said that the "surplus" funds flowed into the rising copper market as a new investment destination, creating a so-called "copper bubble."
Will demand for copper increase in the future “decarbonization” era?
In addition, copper prices may continue to rise in the future, he said.
Mr. Yoshida points out the era of "decarbonization" that countries around the world are aiming for.
Mr. Satoshi Yoshida, Rakuten Securities Economic Research Institute
"Many countries are promoting environmental measures around 2030 and 2050 under the Paris Agreement. Copper is so diverse that it is said that there is copper in what conducts electricity." Therefore, if we proceed with "decarbonization", the production and consumption of various products related to electricity such as electric vehicles will increase. In other words, new demand for copper will be created. "
Beyond the faucet theft incident in Shiga Prefecture was the global economy and global challenges.
What kind of background is behind the various events that are happening around us?
What kind of efforts are needed to solve each problem?
We will continue to make efforts so that we can dig deeper as much as possible.
Large Tsuhosokyoku reporters
Marumo Kanta
Ryowa three years He joined
college pitcher in baseball
once the ball now chase the faucet