Ben Olah
Music editor, 32 (Aussie)
Judging from the news, the amount of violent crime is definitely on the increase. I think Japan is still relatively safe compared to most countries but certainly a lot less safe than it used to be.
Tomohiro Shimoda
Student, 21
I think Japan is safe. If you leave your bag at your table in a cafe while you go to order something, no one will take it. Compared with other countries, Japan is safe on the whole.
Erin Salter
Teacher, 28 (U.S.)
Absolutely it's safe. I've lived here for almost three years and I've never had any kind of incident that made me feel unsafe. I work with children and their parents always say their kids can go home alone.
Miwako Kitamura
Acupuncturist, 40
Japan is safe compared to countries like Iraq or Afghanistan. When I look at it in that perspective, I think we have it good here. Also, there are enough jobs, which keeps the crime rate down.
Gareth Evans
Teacher, 29 (British)
You can walk around in Japan and feel safer than in any European or North American country. However, the crime in this country does tend to be quite weird.
