Record 37,000 children suspected to have suffered abuse in Japan

Japanese police referred to child welfare authorities a record-high 37,113 suspected victims of child abuse in the first half of this year, a report released Thursday showed.The preliminary figure marks an increase of 6,851 children aged 17 or younger being affected, as compared to the same period last year, according to the National Police Agency.The agency believes the figures do not necessarily indicate there is an increase in abuse, generally, but rather that people are reporting more suspected cases to authorities amid heightened public awareness.Police say the increased reporting has …READ FULL ARTICLE