Criminal offenses in Japan mark annual increase for first time in 20 years

Criminal offenses in Japan last year were up nearly 6 percent from 2021, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in 20 years.

The National Police Agency says there were 601,389 criminal offenses nationwide in 2022, an increase of 5.9 percent from the previous year.

The figure had been in decline since the peak in 2002.

Street crimes such as bicycle theft and physical assault increased by 14.4 percent. Agency officials say this may be due to an increase of people who chose to go out, thinking that the coronavirus was no longer a serious threat.

Serious crimes such as robbery, arson and rape were up 8.1 percent. Officials note that serious crimes such as the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and the series of robberies by a group recruited through social media have given the public a sense of insecurity.

A total of 17,520 cases of phone scams, known as special fraud, were also reported.

Damage from the scams totaled about 36.14 billion yen, or nearly 282 million dollars, a jump of 28.2 percent from the previous year and the first increase in eight years.

Police notified child consultation centers about 115,730 children under 18 who were suspected victims of abuse. The figure marks a record high.

The police agency pledges to meet the public's expectations in a changing society by responding to various problems with flexibility.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230202_22/