Crime in Japan rises 21% in 1st half of 2023

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – The crime rate in Japan increased by more than 21% in the first six months of the current year compared to 2022, rising for the first time in 21 years on a year-to-year basis, with police data showing a partial increase in street crimes.

Police data released on Wednesday showed that Japan reported 333,003 crime-related cases in the first six months of the year, which is 21.1% more than the same period last year.

This rise can be attributed in part to an increase in street crime, break-ins, and fake part-time work offers following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

This trend follows a rise in crime rates in Japan in 2022, the first such increase in the last 21 years.

"It will be a turning point (in terms of safety) if the number of reported crimes continues to increase as people start to return to (post-pandemic) normalcy," the news agency quoted from a statement from the Japanese National Police Agency.