Crime continues to decline, yet people do not feel that they are living in a time of safety. Does social precarity, seen in widening inequality and the large number of suicides, have a psychological impact on people's perceptions?
In questionnaire survey results released recently by the National Police Agency, when people were asked, "Do you think public safety in Japan has improved in the last 10 years?" a 64% majority answered, "It has gotten worse." Compared to a similar survey conducted in the previous year, the percentage of people who felt public safety had worsened had increased.
The number of recognized criminal offenses reached a peak of about 2.85 million cases in 2002 and has continued to decrease. Last year, the figure was about 560,000, the lowest since the end of World War II. It can be said statistics show that public safety has improved.
