Some 80% of crime victims in Japan have not received damages from perpetrators or state benefits, a National Police Agency survey showed Thursday.
The survey also found that only 1.3% of victims received assistance from lawyers in negotiating with perpetrators.
The online survey, conducted between last December and this January, received 819 valid responses from victims and bereaved families of crimes such as murders, sex crimes and traffic accidents.
Of them, 654 said they did not receive public benefits or compensation, while 25 said they received damages from perpetrators apart from insurance money payments.
The proportion of respondents who said they did not enter negotiations with or file lawsuits against perpetrators stood at 88.0%.
When asked for reasons, with multiple responses allowed, 32.5% said that they did not know what procedure to take and 8.2% said they did not have the financial capability to hire a lawyer, while 27.6% said they did not want to engage with the perpetrators.
The government adopted a bill to revise the comprehensive legal support law last month, which included a new scheme enabling victims to receive support from lawyers immediately following incidents. Legal fees for those subject to the scheme are expected to be covered by the state.