Juvenile delinquency in Japan increased significantly in the spring of 2020, when schools nationwide were closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, creating a sharp contrast with a notable drop in the number of overall criminal offenses, a government report showed Tuesday.
The Justice Ministry said it suspects the 35 percent year-on-year increase in the number of offenders from ages 14 to 19 investigated in March 2020 was mainly the result of the age group having more opportunities to turn to crime.
The White Paper on Crime showed the overall number of recognized criminal offenses, including those committed by juveniles, dropped by 3.5 percent to 32.1 percent between March and May of 2020 from a year earlier.
Elementary, junior and senior high schools and special needs schools across the country were closed from March 2, 2020, at the request of the central government following the outbreak of the virus earlier in the year.
Many of them remained closed through much of May to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The monthly number of overall criminal offenses continued to decline considerably year-on-year through March last year, due apparently to a decrease in the number of thefts, including burglaries, which account for a large portion of crimes.
The annual report said this was mainly due to requests from the central and local governments for people to stay home during the pandemic, thereby ensuring there were far fewer unattended homes.
For the whole of 2021, the total number of recognized criminal offenses, excluding driving incidents resulting in deaths or injuries, stood at 568,104, down 7.5 percent from 2020 and marking the smallest figure on record in postwar history.
The annual tally has been declining since hitting a peak of 2.85 million offenses in 2002.
Cybercrimes jumped 23.6 percent in 2021 from the year before as criminals apparently took advantage of the vulnerability of virtual private networks with more people working remotely.
With eateries closed or limiting operating hours under COVID restrictions taking effect intermittently since 2020, there were also fewer incidents of people getting caught for drink-driving, the report said.
COVID border control measures also led to a significant drop in the number of illegal drug imports, with the number of stimulant imports plunging 83.1 percent in 2020 from the year before.
The import of cannabis, which is more commonly mailed, only dropped 15.1 percent.
With Japan lifting most of its border control measures in October, the ministry has called for effective countermeasures to be taken against a possible rise in crimes due to the increase in people entering the country.
