NCJ Number
141929
Date Published
1992
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examines patterns of juvenile delinquency in Japan as well as the processing and disposition of delinquency cases.
Abstract
Under Japan's 1948 Juvenile Law, juveniles who have committed either crimes or acts related to crimes are placed in one of three categories: juvenile offenders (from 14 to 19 years old), law-breaking children (under 14 years old), and predelinquent juveniles. Recent trends in juvenile delinquency in Japan are characterized by an increase in delinquent acts by younger juveniles and females. A significant percentage of these acts are committed by unemployed youth. Bicycle thefts and shoplifting have undergone significant increases. The percentage of juvenile and child offenders among the total number of offenders was 53 percent. Juvenile cases are handled by 50 family courts; the proceedings are conducted ex officio by a family court judge without the attendance of a public prosecutor. Hearings are closed to the public and are intended to be sensitive to the juvenile's needs and feelings. No strict legal rules govern procedure or the nature and scope of evidentiary data. Of the cases decided by the family courts in 1988, 7 percent were referred to public prosecutors offices and 1 percent to juvenile training schools. An order of probation was issued in 13 percent of cases, an order of dismissal in 31 percent of cases, and a dismissal without a hearing in 35 percent of cases. Approximately 50 juveniles are sentenced annually to prisons for young offenders by a criminal court.