JAPAN: Number of Veteran Villains on the Rise

TOKYO (Mainichi Daily News), August 4, 2006: More than 22,000 elderly people -- those who are 65 years old or older -- were apprehended for crimes committed over the first six months of 2006, a 9 percent increase from the same period last year, police said. The National Police Agency's (NPA) records show that 22,577 people were found to have committed crimes from January to June, about 12.5 percent of all criminals apprehended in the period. Of the apprehended elderly criminals, 12,583, or about 60 percent, had committed shoplifting. A further 183 elderly people had committed murder, a 25 percent increase over last year, and the number of those who committed robbery increased by 23.3 percent to 53. The number of assaults rose especially sharply, increasing by 103.4 percent to 657. Partly due to the increase in the elderly population, the number of people arrested or sent to prosecutors by police also increased from 80.9 to 88.2 per 100,000 people, the NPA said. The NPA's records also show that elderly people as well as youths are likely to attack victims when they give vent to their pent-up emotions. Elderly people in 549 cases said they committed their attacks because they were angry with their victims. In 16 cases, the motive was a standing grudge against their victims. Copyright 2004-2005 THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved.