NEWSWORTHY
Driver's licenses in Japan to start showing expiration date using Western calendar
Japan's driver's licenses will start to indicate their expiration date using the Western calendar instead of the Japanese calendar, a draft of revised traffic law regulations showed Thursday. The draft, disclosed by the National Police Agency, will also change rules to allow ID photos to ...
Crime in Japan dips to lowest postwar level through first half of 2018
The number of recorded crimes in Japan continued to decrease through the first half of 2018 to a level unseen in the postwar period, mainly due to falling theft rates, preliminary police data showed Thursday. The total number of crimes recorded over the period stood ...
Two bullets found in school building after attack that killed two in Toyama
Two bullets were discovered inside an elementary school building in Toyama following an incident involving the killing of two people in the city on Tuesday, it has been learned. A former Self-Defense Forces member stole a gun loaded with five bullets from a police officer ...
Japan to reinforce police gun holsters to prevent firearm theft
The National Police Agency is accelerating plans to reinforce police officers' gun holsters and safety straps so their firearms cannot be stolen, agency officials said Wednesday. The move comes in the wake of an incident in the city of Toyama the previous day where a ...
Record number of climbers stranded on Japanese mountains in 2017
Police say a boom in the popularity of mountaineering has led many inexperienced climbers to venture into more isolated, challenging terrain.
60,000 elderly drivers in Japan suspected of having dementia during license renewal: police
The revised road traffic law, which requires elderly drivers to see a doctor if dementia is suspected during a preliminary screening, took effect on March 12 last year.
Japanese calling the police more than ever to address nonurgent matters
Police dealt with a record-high number of consultations last year over problems that were not pressing, such as noisy neighbors and graffiti.
Over 90% of Japan's child abuse and sexual crime victims didn't receive compensation: survey
Only a small proportion of those subject to violent crimes knew about available consultation services, and fewer still were able to secure financial assistance to which they were entitled.
Government looks to relax requirements for bus and taxi licenses amid labor crunch
A National Police Agency panel began talks Wednesday to ease eligibility requirements for those looking to take tests for bus and taxi licenses, in response to chronic labor shortages due to Japan's graying workforce. The panel, which includes a university professor familiar with the Penal ...
Police suspect a record 65,431 minors were abused in Japan in 2017
The National Police Agency said a 24.9% rise in psychological abuse contributed to the overall increase.
Japan's juvenile crime at postwar record low, but rising marijuana use concerns police agency
The number of teens implicated in cases involving marijuana increased by more than fivefold between 2013 and 2017, the National Police Agency said, raising concern that use of the drug is spreading among juveniles. A total of 297 people aged between 14 and 19 were ...
NPA cryptocurrency tips point to 669 suspected money-laundering cases from April to December
The police on Thursday disclosed that 669 cases of suspected money laundering had been reported by cryptocurrency exchanges between April and December. The tipoffs came in the wake of a legal revision last April to prevent the transfer of criminal proceeds that obliges exchanges to ...
