Japan: many people, no crimes

Japan is often considered beyond compare. Its economic success, distinct culture and disciplined population have made it rather unique and produced one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The country has 127 million people, yet street crime is almost unheard of; the murder rate falls to the lowest level in more than 70 Years.

It is an undisputed fact is that Japan has achieved a remarkable safe society compared to other industrialised countries, and they incarcerate far fewer than, for instance, the UK (with a prisoner rate 3 times higher) or the US (13 times higher).

Crime in Japan is dropping amid the longest economic expansion in almost three decades, making one of the safest nations even safer. The number of recorded crimes fell to 915,042 in 2013, the lowest level in the post-war era, according to data released by the National Police Agency earlier this month. That came as the nation’s economy had its longest run of sustained growth in almost 30 years, which drove the unemployment rate down to 2.8 per cent in 2014.

‘The economic recovery is helping crimes go down,’ said Akiyoshi Takumori, chief economist at Sumitomo Mitusi Asset Management Co. ‘The need to steal goes down when you have a secure job.’

But it’s not just the reduction in crime that’s making people feel safer. The Japanese learn the value of social conformity from the time they are born. Japanese companies virtually never have layoffs because employment is for life. Kids are taught to clean up after themselves. You seldom see litter or graffiti in Japan.

Shop owners sweep up the sidewalk and street in front of their shops every morning because who would shop in a store that has trash in front of it?

Going to prison is an unimaginable social stigma for most Japanese people. The belief that almost all Japanese are law-abiding also creates a system that routinely treats suspects as guilty until proven otherwise. In this country, suspects face enormous pressure to cooperate with the investigators and admit guilt, leading to a conviction rate in the courts of more than 99%. The criminal justice system is founded on a strong belief that the criminal must repent for his crime – not simply be punished the law – and Japanese prisons are well known for their strict discipline.

Still, it’s not rosy everywhere, but there may be other factors for the drop in crime – closer coordination between local volunteers and the police and the wider use of surveillance cameras have helped prevention, according to the National Police Agency.