This study analyzed the mutual insurance data, investigated the theft of agricultural vehicles in Tochigi Prefecture, and revealed the actual state of the targeted vehicles, including the type of vehicles and the time of occurrence, and discussed the characteristics of the vehicles. The analysis revealed that 90％ of the stolen vehicles were wheeled passenger tractors with a wide range of usage years, not just new ones. The number of stolen passenger tractors was higher than other vehicle types, indicating that passenger tractors were selectively stolen. The thefts of the five targeted agricultural vehicles tended to occur more frequently between March and May and between October and December. Most of the offenses were committed between the afternoon and the morning of the next day. Many of the damaged vehicles were stored in shed etc. and there were also confirmed cases where vehicles were stolen from shed on the premises. There were also confirmed cases where vehicles were stolen despite the fact that security measures had been taken at the vehicle and storage location. On the other hand, there were also cases where the vehicle was left unlocked or in the field. In order to reduce the risk of agricultural vehicle theft, it appears that the first priority should be to increase farmersʼ awareness of crime prevention and tourgently install commercially available anti-theft devices. The study also highlighted the need for agricultural vehicle manufacturers and industry associations to take anti-theft measures in reference to the previous incidents.
