Japan crime rises in first half of 2023 as COVID restrictions ease

The number of crimes recorded in Japan in the first six months of 2023 increased by more than 20 percent compared to the same period the previous year, due in part to an increase in street crime and break-ins amid an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, police data showed Wednesday.A total of 333,003 cases were reported in the first half of the year, up by 21.1 percent from the previous year, rising for the first time in 21 years on a January-June basis, according to the National Police Agency.The data comes as Japan recorded a rise in crimes in 2022 for the first time in 20 years.The numbers i…READ FULL ARTICLE