May 29, 2012

More forensic experts needed

The Diet is expected to soon start deliberating on two bills designed to improve procedures involving autopsies when unnatural deaths are suspected. The bills are a welcome step which will help rectify the current situation in which the police disregard most deaths they handle ...

Mar 18, 2012

No graduation for too many

As graduation ceremonies get under way at schools across Japan this month, 1,029 students will not be graduating — not this year, not ever. That is the number of students who committed suicide last year, according to statistics released by the National Police Agency ...

Mar 11, 2012

Moving forward with reconstruction

A year has passed since the massive earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc on the Pacific coastal areas of the Tohoku region on March 11, 2011, and many survivors continue to suffer from their devastating effects. The impact of the natural disasters was compounded by ...

Mar 2, 2012

Better stalking measures needed

Two murders in Nagasaki Prefecture in December 2011 show that the police are ineffective in preventing stalking-related crime. Police nationwide need to improve their methods for deterring stalkers, including how and when to share information with different police units. They should not forget that ...