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Are our kids in Tokyo safe from sexual predators? Statistics tell us.

By on June 14, 2015
For many years, Japan has been a society where kids’ independence is supported. In Tokyo, most kids of elementary school age commute daily to and from school, alone, with a very small chance of being kidnapped or raped unlike what happens in other industrialized countries. While this  is possible mostly because Japan is community-oriented, let’s not forget that Kobans or police box are, more often than not, within a 50 to 100-m range from school zones and train stations.

But that’s not to say that parents should be less vigilant.

According to the recent statistics released by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, there has been 200  cases of rape, 1,000 indecent assaults and 2,000 sexual molestations reported in Tokyo’s 23 wards in 2014.

These statistics tell us more:

ages - rape victims

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (2014)

 

Indecent assault

2014

Molestation victims' ages

2014

WHEN DO SEXUAL OFFENSES AGAINST CHILDREN (UNDER 13 YEARS OLD) OCCUR?
grf26_8

77.9% of sexual offenses against children under 13 occur between 2 and 7pm on a school day.

13 and under, places

2014

 

 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has published a precautionary advice on its website:

1. Walk along well-lighted streets.
2. Don’t use a mobile phone, smart phone or earphones when walking.
3. Be en guard when walking in a dark alley or street.
4. Set your burglar alarm to ‘on’ when walking on the streets alone.
5. If you are approached by a suspicious person, switch on your cell phone’s alarm and rush immediately to a shop close by.  Leave the spot temporarily to prevent an untoward incident from happening.
6. Familiarize yourself with convenience stores, police box nearby where you can run to when walking in dark alleys or secluded roads on the way to and from school.
7. When taking an elevator at unguarded residential areas or condominiums, stand in front of the button control. Be alert for suspicious people inside the elevator and immediately get off when you see one.

About Julie Wilson