Police in Japan logged a record 2,181 child abuse cases in 2022, up from the previous record of 2,174 in 2021, while the number of domestic violence consultations and cases of stalking also hit record highs, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Among child abuse cases, assaults accounted for 882, the largest group by type of abuse. There were also 326 cases of sex crimes such as forcible intercourse and indecency, 23 murder investigations and five cases of injury resulting in death.
The number of children referred to child consultation centers in suspected cases of abuse also hit a record high of 115,762, up 7.1%.