The head of the National Police Agency said June 24 that Japanese are becoming increasingly fearful for their safety due to a series of recent terrorist acts here and abroad, as well as an increasing number of crimes committed by foreigners living in Japan.
At a press conference in Tokyo, NPA chief Yuko Sekiguchi said 1995 was a turning point for public safety because of two major incidents: The Great Hanshin Earthquake and the sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, allegedly carried out by members of the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult. He also mentioned the shooting of then NPA chief Takaji Kunimatsu 10 days after the gas attack. Police say they have not found the gunman.
Sekiguchi, who succeeded Kunimatsu in March, said that although the ratio of arrests to crimes is still high -- some 96 percent in murder cases -- Japanese people are worried over what may happen next because such alarming incidents have never occurred before.