The data comes as Japan recorded a rise in crimes in 2022 for the first time in 20 years. The numbers include burglaries linked to yami baito, or "dark part-time work," where individuals are often recruited via social media to commit crimes for money. Street crimes, which include bicycle theft, grew by 29.7 percent compared to the same period the previous year, to 110,744 cases, according to the agency. "It will be a turning point (in regards to safety) if the number of reported crimes continues to increase as people start to return to normalcy," a spokesperson from the agency said. By category, robberies jumped by 23.8 percent from the previous year to 228,889 cases, accounting for three-quarters of the overall increase.

Source: The Guardian July 20, 2023 01:50 UTC