Up until five years ago, the city of Kitakyushu had for decades grappled with so many shootings and violent attacks by organized crime groups that it was known as a city of shura (never-ending conflict).

But as Japan intensified its crackdown on organized crime, the number of crimes filed by police declined to 6,504 in 2018, the lowest in the postwar era and an 84 percent decline from 2002, when it saw a record high.

Has the city become safe and secure? In March, a Nishinippon Shimbun reporter joined a neighborhood watch in Kitakyushu to see what was happening on the streets at night.