A record 2,170 cases of child abuse were investigated last year in Japan, up 1.7% from the previous year, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to reduce opportunities for welfare workers to intervene, a police report showed Thursday.
The number of minors referred to child welfare centers nationwide due to suspicion of abuse, meanwhile, also reached a record high at 108,050, up 1% from the previous year and surpassing 100,000 for the second consecutive year, the National Police Agency said in a preliminary report. Minors are defined as children under 18 years old.
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