A record 2,170 cases of child abuse were investigated last year in Japan, up 1.7 percent from the previous year, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to reduce opportunities for welfare workers to intervene, a police report showed Thursday.The number of minors referred to child welfare centers nationwide due to suspicion of abuse, meanwhile, also reached a record high at 108,050, up 1.0 percent from the previous year and surpassing 100,000 for the second consecutive year, the National Police Agency said in a preliminary report. It defines minors as children aged under 18.By category, 80,29…READ FULL ARTICLE
