Japan saw a record number of minors fall prey to molestation, prostitution and other crimes via social networking services or online community spaces last year, and nearly all of the victims were female, police said Thursday.
The number of victims under 18 rose to 1,652, the most since 2008, when the National Police Agency started taking the tally, and 231 more than in 2014. Females accounted for 96.3 percent of those victims, an annual report by the NPA said.
Of the victims, 699, or 42.3 percent, were involved in crimes that violate an ordinance for protecting minors. They were followed by 507, or 30.7 percent, who were involved in child pornography, and 359, or 21.7 percent, who were targeted by child prostitution, the report said.