KUMAMOTO — Police here have arrested a 52-year-old Russian national accused of orchestrating a theft ring that stripped nearly 100 heavy bronze nameplates from bridges across the Kyushu region, reports Fuji News Network (June 26).
Nikolai Rogov, a self-proclaimed self-employed resident of Kushiro City, Hokkaido Prefecture, was taken into custody on June 25 on suspicion of theft. Upon his arrest, Rogov denied the allegations, telling investigators, “I know nothing about it.”
According to police, Rogov is accused of conspiring with two Japanese men to steal a bridge nameplate valued at 30,000 yen from the Fukuyama Bridge over a canal in Yamaga City in September 2025.
The two accomplices — Shigeharu Okubo, 69, of no fixed address, and Motoyuki Kiyonaga, a 54-year-old nursing assistant from Yatsushiro City — were previously arrested and indicted in January 2025.
Unlike Rogov, both men have confessed to the crimes.
Investigators were able to track Rogov down in Hokkaido after analyzing mobile phone communications and the confessions of the two men.
100 bridge nameplates
The scope of the operation appears vast. Authorities have confiscated approximately 100 bridge nameplates from a scrap metal dealer where the group allegedly fenced the stolen goods. A reporter on the scene noted that the sheer volume of confiscated plates was staggering, adding that each plate is incredibly heavy and difficult to transport.
Further investigations have revealed the existence of a fourth individual who acted as an intermediary, tasked with dividing and distributing the cash obtained from selling the stolen metal. Police are currently questioning this individual on a voluntary basis.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the group for additional crimes, as the seized nameplates were stolen not only from within the prefecture but from locations all across Kyushu.
