Japan reported cases of child abuse rise to yet another record high in fiscal 2007

The Mainichi Shimbun
June 18, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080618p2a00m0na002000c.html

TOKYO (AP) -- Reported cases of child abuse in Japan continue to rise and hit a new high last fiscal year, according to a government report released Tuesday.

The number of cases rose to 40,618 in the year through March, nearly a 9 percent jump from 37,323 the previous year, which was also a record, according to a Health Ministry report.

Reported cases have nearly quadrupled over the last eight fiscal years, driven in part by increased public awareness of child abuse.

The largest single-year jump in recent history was 6,839 cases, or 26 percent, to 33,408 in 2004. That year Japan passed a law mobilizing welfare workers and police to combat child abuse, and requiring the public to inform authorities of evidence of suspected abuse such as bruises on a child's body.

Experts say social problems including the increasing income gap between Japan's rich and poor, a rising divorce rate and the decline of the extended family have also contributed to the surge in cases.

Government efforts to fight abuse have been hindered because children were long considered the belongings of their parents, who often justified the use of violence as discipline.

Child abuse has grabbed headlines in recent years with several shocking cases. Last year police arrested a mother whose 3-year-old son died after she allegedly forced him to swallow large amounts of hot red pepper.

(Mainichi Japan) June 18, 2008

Child abuse cases hit record high 40,618 in 2007

The Japan Times
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Source: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080618a9.html

Kyodo News -- Child welfare centers handled a record number of cases of child abuse in fiscal 2007, topping the 40,000 mark and more than quadrupling the number eight years ago, the government reported Tuesday.

The number of child abuse cases in the fiscal year that ended in March totaled 40,618, exceeding the previous record set in fiscal 2006 by 3,295, according to a preliminary report released by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

"The figure rose not just because more children are being mistreated but also because the public now keeps a more vigilant eye out for potential cases of child abuse," a ministry official said.

Annual tallies have been consistently on the rise from 1,101 in fiscal 1990, when the government began compiling such statistics.

The number topped the 10,000 mark in fiscal 1999.

The latest data is based on records kept by all 47 prefectures and 19 cities with locally run child welfare centers.

An incident is counted as a case of child abuse after a center recognizes it as such and takes action, such as removing the children from their family's custody.

In fiscal 2007, child abuse increased in 29 prefectures and 13 cities. Sharp rises were observed in Yamagata Prefecture, up 74 percent, Kagoshima Prefecture, up 67 percent, and Sapporo, up 54 percent.

Child abuse was on the decline in 18 prefectures and four cities.

The Japan Times
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Reported cases of child abuse hit record in FY07

The Yomiuri Shimbun
June 18, 2008
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080618TDY02304.htm

The number of consultations on child abuse at child consultation centers across the country exceeded 40,000 in fiscal 2007 for the first time since such data began being recorded in fiscal 1990, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Tuesday.

Child abuse consultations in fiscal 2007 numbered 40,618--up 3,295 from 37,323 in fiscal 2006, according to the ministry.

The ministry said child abuse might be increasing, but cautioned that growing public awareness of the problem also could be behind the spike in cases. The number has increased 37-fold from the 1,101 cases reported in the first survey in fiscal 1990.

The increase over the previous year was largest in Yamagata Prefecture, where cases rose 74 percent. Kagoshima Prefecture, Sapporo, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, and Hokkaido reported the next biggest increases.

(Jun. 18, 2008)

Number of reported child abuse cases tops 40,000

The Mainichi Shimbun
June 17, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080617p2a00m0na012000c.html

The number of child abuse cases reported to consultation centers across the nation has topped 40,000 for the first time, a government survey has found.

The survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has found that 197 child consultation centers nationwide received 40,618 reports on child abuse in fiscal 2007, up 3,295 cases, or 8.8 percent from the previous fiscal year.

The ministry deems that a revision in January 2007 to the operation policy for child consultation centers apparently led to the rise in the number of reported abuse cases. The revision encouraged child counseling centers to actively take care of not only abused children but also their siblings, such as by taking them into temporary custody.

The survey, which covered prefectures and major cities around the country, found that Tokyo topped the list in terms of the number of reported child abuse cases, at 3,307; followed by Osaka Prefecture at 2,997; the city of Yokohama at 2,000; Saitama Prefecture at 1,886; and Kanagawa Prefecture at 1,679.

The places with the largest increase rate from the previous year were: Yamagata Prefecture, at 1.74 times (by 224 cases); Kagoshima Prefecture at 1.67 times (by 140 cases) and the city of Sapporo at 1.54 times (by 478 cases).

The number of reported child abuse cases has been on the increase since the survey started in fiscal 1990 with the figure rising 2.3 times over a six-year period since 2000, when the Child Abuse Prevention Law was enacted.

After the law was revised in 2004, the number of police reports on child abuse cases increased because the revision stated that children forced to witness their parents suffering violence by their spouses or cohabiters can also be defined as psychological abuse for children.

(Mainichi Japan) June 17, 2008