Crime Japan reports 774,142 crimes in 2025 as offences rise for 4th straight year

[thomas]

On Thursday, the NPA reported that police recorded 774,142 criminal offences nationwide in 2025, an increase of 36,463 from the previous year. The figure represents the fourth consecutive annual rise and exceeds the level seen in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The largest share of cases involved theft, which totalled 513,931 incidents, or roughly two-thirds of all reported crimes. Bicycle thefts accounted for the largest share of that group, at around 170,000 cases.

Fraud reached 72,532 reports, more than double the number logged in 2019. The agency links the broader rise in crime in part to so-called specialised fraud schemes, a term that includes romance and investment scams. Police also recorded 9,962 incidents involving voyeuristic image-taking. Reports of non-consensual sexual intercourse stood at 4,177, while non-consensual indecent assault accounted for 7,193 cases. The agency listed 976 murders and 1,428 robberies during the year. According to the same report, 200,663 people were arrested. Among them were 7,333 foreign visitors to Japan (3.65%), excluding permanent residents and individuals affiliated with the U.S. military.

The number of arrests for criminal offenses increased 4.8% to 301,055. Of them, 17,614 were foreign visitors (5.85%), a jump of 31.4%. According to the agency's statistics, 550 foreign visitors were arrested for serious crimes such as murder and robbery, an increase of 48 from 2024. The overall arrest rate was 38.9%, the same as the previous year.

Crime in Japan Ticks Up for 4th Straight Year

<p>The number of reported crimes in 2025 rose 4.9% from the previous year to 774,142, according to crime statistics released by the National Police Agency on Thursday. This marked the fourth straight increase since the figure hit a postwar low in 2021.</p> <p>Last year saw a surge in property...

japannews.yomiuri.co.jp

Financial losses tied to special fraud, social-media investment swindles and romance schemes climbed to 324.1 billion yen, or roughly $2.1 billion, in 2025, the highest figure recorded to date. The amount equals about 160% of the previous year's total and around 360% of the level seen three years earlier, reflecting how rapidly the financial scale of such crimes has expanded.

Special fraud accounted for 27,758 cases and 141.4 billion yen in damage, nearly 200% of the 2024 figure. The schemes generally involve offenders posing as relatives or officials and urging victims to transfer money. Average losses rose to 5.21 million yen per incident, up 1.71 million yen. Police data point to a gradual change in victim patterns, with younger individuals more often drawn in through online banking transfers, while older victims are frequently persuaded to send crypto assets. Losses from social media investment fraud reached 127.4 billion yen across 9,538 cases, a 46% increase from the year before. The mean loss per case was 13.42 million yen, a notably high figure even by recent standards. Many operations relied on impersonations of public figures or well-known investors. Instagram was the most frequent initial contact point, followed by YouTube, where the number of related cases increased by roughly 21x. In many instances, victims were redirected to the Line messaging application through advertisements featuring the likenesses of real investors. Romance scams were recorded 5,604 times, resulting in losses of 55.2 billion yen, up 38%. The average loss per case reached 9.87 million yen. Approximately 76% of victims were in their 40s to 60s. More than 30% of these schemes began on matching applications, while over 20% originated on Instagram.

Japan crime rate surges as fraud losses hit record 324.1 billion yen | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[Ukigumo]

…and we all know who's to blame for that increase

 

[johnnyG]

…and we all know who's to blame for that increase

Please inform me--who would that be?

 

[Ukigumo]

Please inform me--who would that be?

Foreigners!