NCJ Number
140986
Date Published
1991
Length
312 pages
Annotation
This comprehensive analysis of Japanese crime examines Japanese social structures, crime statistics including dark figures, and police activities.
Abstract
The most striking difference between Japan and other industrialized nations is Japan's low crime rate. Although property crimes have risen slightly in the 1970's, serious offenses and violent crimes continue to decline. Against this backdrop, the prevalence of organized crime is all the more surprising. Though most organized violence is limited to members of crime organizations, large segments of the population make payments to crime lords in exchange for peace. Thus, organized crime has become an accepted part of Japanese society and is rarely prosecuted. In fact, the relative safety of Japanese citizens should be attributed not only to an effective police force but also to the stabilizing effects of crime organizations. On the other hand, the analysis shows that the view of Japan as a crime- free utopia is a myth. The Japanese conditions cannot serve as a model to Germany because the social structures of the two countries are so different. The book includes a bibliography and two appendices.