RESEARCH ON CRIMINAL PHENOMENA AND COUNTERMEASURES AGAINST THEM IN KASHIMA (JAPAN) INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AREA - FINAL REPORT, 5TH (FROM BULLETIN OF THE CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, 1976)

• NCJ Number: 45908
• Author(s): M MIZOGAMI; H SHINDO; N KURODA; Y HAGIWARA; S TSUCHIYA
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 4 pages
• Corporate Author: Japan Ministry of Justice
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Japan
• Note: THIS ENGLISH VERSION WAS PREPARED BY MR TERUO MATSUSHITA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS ASIA AND FAR EAST INSTITUTE FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRIME AND THE TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS (UNAFEI), TOGETHER WITH MISS MASAKO KONO AND MESSRS TAKEO OSUMI, KAZUHISA SUZUKI, SHOZO TOMITA AND KATSUO KAWADA, MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY OF UNAFEI

Annotation

A SERIES OF RELATED STUDIES UNDERTAKEN TO EVALUATE THE SOCIOCULTURAL IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE KASHIMA AREA OF JAPAN IS REPORTED. MAJOR EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON SOCIAL ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR EFFECTS.

Abstract

THE KASHIMA RESEARCH PROJECT HAS INVOLVED NUMEROUS COMPREHENSIVE SURVEYS OF FACTORS RELATED TO SOCIAL CHANGE, JUVENILE AND ADULT CRIME TRENDS, AND THE PROGRESS OF URBANIZATION IN THE AREA. FINDINGS COVERED IN DEPTH IN PREVIOUS INTERIM REPORTS HAVE INCLUDED: (1) THE KASHIMA AREA HAS ATTAINED BETWEEN 1963 AND 1975 MOST OF ITS INITIALLY ANTICIPATED DEVELOPMENT -- INDUSTRIAL GROWTH HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED DURING THIS TIME WITH POPULATION GROWTH AND URBANIZATION; (2) SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT HAS FAILED TO MATCH INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, THUS RESULTING IN A DEGENERATION OF PUBLIC MORALS AND A WEAKENING OF THE EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL CONTROL FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY; (3) WHILE JUVENILE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS HAVE NOT SHOWN A DEFINITE CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE PROCESS OF URBANIZATION, THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING DELINQUENT SUBCULTURE, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE AREAS WHERE URBANIZATION HAS BEEN MOST RAPID AND PROFOUND; (4) PENAL CODE CRIMES, RAPIDLY INCREASED BETWEEN 1962 AND 1971; AND (5) INCREASES IN POLICE FORCE HAVE FAILED TO KEEP PACE WITH CRIME INCREASES. THE CONFUSION OF VALUE SYSTEMS AND THE WEAKENING OF COMMUNITY SOLIDARITY THROUGH THE CONFLICT OF OLD AND NEW CULTURES MAY PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT CLUE TO THE CORRELATION BETWEEN DEVIANCY AND OTHER PATHOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR AND THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT. IN 1974, ALL PENAL CODE CRIMES SHOWED A SLIGHT INCREASE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF GROSS NEGLIGENCE RESULTING IN DEATH OR INJURY. THIS TREND HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY A DECREASE IN FRAUD AND AN INCREASE IN ASSAULT AND EXTORTION, WHICH SUGGESTS A TRANSFORMATION IN THE NATURE OF CRIMES IN THE AREA FROM THE INITIAL PRODUCTS OF CONFUSION TO THOSE OF URBAN DEVIANCY. AN ATTITUDINAL SURVEY OF NATIVE INHABITANTS AND MIGRANTS INDICATED THAT INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT HAS HAD CONSIDERABLE IMPACT. A CONSIDERABLE PROPORTION OF MIGRANTS SHOW DIFFERENT SOCIAL AND MORAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS AND ATTITUDES FROM NATIVE INHABITANTS, AND AN INCREASING PROPORTION OF NATIVE INHABITANTS HAVE BEEN ADOPTING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS WHICH APPROXIMATE THOSE OF THE MIGRANTS. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT HAS ALSO BROUGHT ABOUT VISIBLE SIGNS OF POLLUTION IN THE AREA. CHANGES IN THE WAY OF LIFE IN THE KASHIMA AREA HAVE BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY EXTENSIVE CONFLICTS OF NORMS AND VALUES, RAPID SOCIAL CHANGE, INCREASED MOBILITY, EMPHASIS ON MATERIAL GOODS AND INDIVIDUALISM, AND AN INCREASE IN FORMAL SOCIAL CONTROLS. THE INCREASE IN CRIME WHICH PARALLELS THE INCREASE IN DEVELOPMENT WILL REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WELL-PLANNED SOCIAL DEFENSE PROGRAM INTEGRATED WITH A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. (JAP)