TOKYO, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Japan's crime rate increased for the first time in 20 years in 2022, as relaxed COVID-19 regulations may have led to a rise in instances of street crime, the police said in a report on Thursday.
According to the National Police Agency, there were 601,389 instances of crime in the recording period, marking an increase of 5.9 percent from 2021.
According to the agency, the most serious crimes, including murder, climbed 8.1 percent to 9,536, while domestic violence consultations and cases involving suspected child abuse hit record highs.
Regarding suspected child abuse cases leading to the police getting in touch with child consultation centers, cases involving a record 115,730 minors were reported in 2022.
The data also showed that instances of domestic violence climbed to 84,493 in the recording period.
Street crime rose 14.4 percent from the previous year to 201,619 cases, the data showed, while there were 19,129 cases of stalking resulting in the police being consulted.
Illegal or fraudulent online money transfers were up for the first time in three years, totaling 1,131 cases, the data showed, while cyber-attacks against companies and organizations using ransomware, jumped 57.5 percent, the agency said.
Special fraud cases leading to financial damage, meanwhile, marked the first increase in eight years in the recording period, climbing almost 30 percent and totaling 36.14 billion yen (280.86 million U.S. dollars) in damages, the data showed. ■
