Fraud on the Rise as Japan’s Reported Crimes Increase for Third Successive Year

The number of reported crimes in Japan rose by 4.9% in 2024 to 737,679, according to figures published by the National Police Agency. Following a peak of 2.85 million reported crimes in 2002, figures fell steadily over the subsequent decades, reaching a record low of 568,000 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have since reversed course, increasing for three successive years. 

Theft accounted for around two-thirds of all crimes at 501,507 cases, up 3.7% year on year. Cases involving theft of metal, such as copper cables at solar power plants, climbed by 27.2% to 20,701, or four times as many as when statistics for this category began in 2020.

There were 57,324 fraud cases, up 24.6% year on year, with total financial losses rising 89.1% to ¥307.5 billion. Financial losses from specialized fraud, including telephone scams, rose by ¥26.9 billion to ¥72.2 billion, while social media fraud, such as investment and romance scams, increased by ¥82.2 billion to ¥126.8 billion. The losses for both categories reached record highs as the tactic of crime group recruiting young people with high paying, one-off jobs has become as a major social issue. The most common motivation for fraud was economic hardship at 39.9%, and this factor is on the increase.

Reported cases of major crimes like murder, robbery, arson, rape and indecent assault, and kidnapping and trafficking increased 18.1% over the previous year to 14,614. There were significant rises for indecent assault, up 14.7% to 6,992, and rape, up 45.2% to 3,936. The 2023 revision of the criteria for rape in Japan’s Penal Code to create a broader category of nonconsensual sexual intercourse and the creation of an easier environment to report and seek advice on sexual crimes are thought to be factors in the dramatic rise in reported cases.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)