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Japan

Japan Crime Stats

Background:

As one if the most populous nations on earth, there can be no great surprise that Japan has one of the highest incidents of crime, with the total number of crimes reported in 2002 more than 2.85 million. That placed Japan 6th overall, with only 20% of that reported in the leading nation, the US. However, just 15.2% of Japanese people claiming to be victims of crime, placing the country 20th in the world, with 30% of Australian making a similar claim. Perhaps surprising to many is the fact that Japan still enacts the death penalty, with 9 prisoners executed in 2007.

Definitions

  • Age of criminal responsibility: The age at which a person is no longer excluded from criminal liability.  The lowest age is indicated for countries where there isn’t a single age limit, for example where different states have different regulations (such as the USA) or there is different limits for boy and girls (such as in Iran). The spectrum is specifically wide for the USA and Mexico (both 6-12 years). Several US states do not stipulate any minimal age for criminal responsibility at all. For further qualifications, exceptions and other notes, please refer to notes.
  • Assault rate: Number of assaults recorded by police per 100,000 population
  • Crime levels: Level of crime. Based on 0-50 contributions for Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria and 82 more countries and 50-100 contributions for Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria and 24 more countries and over 100 contributions for Australia, Brazil, Canada and 17 more countries. The surveys were conducted by numbeo.com from July, 2011 to February, 2014. See this sample survey for the United States, respondents were asked "How serious you feel the level of crime is?". The higher the value, the more survey respondents believe it is high in their country.
  • Drugs > Annual cannabis use: Estimate of percentage of 15-64 year old population who use Cannabis.
  • Drugs > Opiates use: Annual prevalence.
  • Murder rate: Homicide rate per year per 100,000 inhabitants in various countries.
  • Police officers: Number of police officers per 100,000 population.
  • Rape rate: Number of rape incidents per 100,000 citizens in different countries. Figures do not take into account rape incidents that go unreported to the police.
  • Total crimes: Note: Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence.
  • Violent crime > Gun crime > Guns per 100 residents: Number of privately owned small firearms per 100 residents.
  • Violent crime > Intentional homicide rate: Homicides per 100’000 residents. Homicide is the death of a person purposefully inflicted by another person (it excludes suicides) outside of a state of war. Homicide is a broader category than murder, as it also includes manslaughter. The exact legal definition varies across countries, some of which include infanticide, assisted suicide, euthanasia and deaths caused by dangerous driving.
  • Violent crime > Murder rate: Intentional homicide, number and rate per 100,000 population.
  • Violent crime > Murder rate per million people: Intentional homicide, number and rate per 100,000 population. Figures expressed per million people for the same year.
  • Violent crime > Rapes: The number of recorded rapes. Large numbers of rapes go unreported. South Africa is estimated to have 500,000 rapes per year, Egypt 200,000, China 32,000 and the UK with 85,000 rapes per year.
  • Violent crime > Rapes per million people: The number of recorded rapes. Large numbers of rapes go unreported. South Africa is estimated to have 500,000 rapes per year, Egypt 200,000, China 32,000 and the UK with 85,000 rapes per year. Figures expressed per million people for the same year.
STAT AMOUNT DATE RANK HISTORY
Age of criminal responsibility 12 2014 37th out of 58
Assault rate 51 2011 56th out of 93
Crime levels 12.8 2014 18th out of 18
Drugs > Annual cannabis use 0.1% 2002 7th out of 7
Drugs > Opiates use 0.1% 2002 8th out of 10
Murder rate 1.02 2008
Police officers 199.8 2006 23th out of 31
Rape rate 1 2010 52nd out of 57
Total crimes 2.85 million 2002 6th out of 82
Violent crime > Gun crime > Guns per 100 residents 0.6 2014 158th out of 170
Violent crime > Intentional homicide rate 0.35 2011 44th out of 44
Violent crime > Murder rate 506 2009 45th out of 116
Violent crime > Murder rate per million people 3.97 2009 111th out of 113
Violent crime > Rapes 1,289 2010 18th out of 57
Violent crime > Rapes per million people 10.11 2010 52nd out of 57

SOURCES: Wikipedia: Defense of infancy (Ages of criminal responsibility by country); European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control International Statistics on Crime and Justice, 2011; crime; https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2011/World_Drug_Report_2011_ebook.pdf, World Drug Report 2011, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2011, p. 217.; Wikipedia: List of countries by prevalence of opiates use ("World Drug Report 2011" . United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2011. "World Drug Report 2006" . United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2006. http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2009/WDR2009_eng_web.pdf); UN Crime Stats; The Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention); Annexe I of the Small Arms Survey 2007 ; Wikipedia: List of countries by intentional homicide rate by decade; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Source tables; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Source tables. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; Statistics : Crime : Sexual Violence (UNODC) and Crime Statistics : Sexual Violence Against Children and Rape, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Statistics : Crime : Sexual Violence (UNODC) and Crime Statistics : Sexual Violence Against Children and Rape, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.

Citation

0

Actually, it has nothing to do with Japan's gun laws. Japan's non-gun crimes are also multitudes lower than that of the United States. Japan's prison crime rate also pales in comparison to America's prison crime rate (where guns don't exist either). Japan's low crime rate is due to their unique "group" based society.

Posted on 21 Apr 2010

Brock

Brock

0

It there gun laws, all Japanese citizens are restricted from owning weapons of any kind, including swords. Unless you are a licensed hunter, which is rare, and they are only permitted shotguns.

Posted on 20 Mar 2010

Dan

Dan

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