The National Police Agency announced a seven-point public safety plan Tuesday for fiscal 2007, highlighted by the offering of rewards for information leading to the arrest of people suspected of committing serious crimes.
The plan, along with other measures to encourage the public to provide information helpful in fighting crime, will be introduced by about March 2008, the agency said.
The measures, including strengthened investigations of murder, robbery and other serious crimes, and offenses committed by underworld syndicates and foreigners, will be added to the government's earlier public safety program, published in August 2003.
The NPA is requesting 278.6 billion yen for the measures for fiscal 2007, up 7.4 percent from a year ago.
Other priorities include community safety, counterterrorism, online security and traffic safety.
To help crack down on serious crimes, the NPA will start accepting anonymous reports of incidents on a trial basis and use computerized tomography during autopsies.