Another Record Low Year of Crimes in This Country

Japan is experiencing a decrease in reported crimes across the country at a steady pace, and in 2021, the country established a new postwar record for the seventh consecutive year.

According to a provisional National Police Agency summary in crime statistics, in 2021, a total of 568,148 crimes were reported, a decrease of 7.5% from the previous year.

Those low numbers are partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposed lockdown. A larger number of people stayed home, resulting in a reduction in street crime and breaking-and-entering burglaries. The country recorded an overall arrest rate for criminal offenses at 46.6% and for major crimes like murder and robbery, that percentage reached 93.4%.