The number of criminal offenses in Japan has fallen to a new low, but child abuse and domestic violence are at record highs.
The National Police Agency said on Thursday that it confirmed more than 817,000 criminal offenses last year -- a decline of 10.7 percent. The figure has fallen for the 16th year in a row, and is the lowest since record-keeping began in 1946.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will call a meeting of relevant cabinet ministers on Friday over the death of a ten-year-old girl who was apparently abused by her parents.
The girl was found dead at her home near Tokyo in January. Police have arrested her parents on suspicion of inflicting injuries.
More details have emerged on the death of a ten-year-old girl due to suspected abuse by her parents.
Mia Kurihara was found dead at her home in Noda City, near Tokyo, in late January. Police have arrested her parents on suspicion of inflicting injuries.
Officials at a child welfare center near Tokyo say they do not know when a 10-year-old girl who was temporarily in their care returned to her parents' home where she was fatally abused.
Mia Kurihara was found dead at her home in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, in late January. Her parents have been arrested on suspicion of inflicting injuries.
The prefecture's child welfare center has been criticized for its handling of the case.
The father of a ten-year-old girl who died after suspected domestic violence had submitted to a child welfare center a letter in which the daughter said she had lied about being abused by her father.
Mia Kurihara was found dead at her home in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, last month. Police arrested her parents on suspicion of inflicting injuries that led to Mia's death.
It's been reported that former NMB48 member Terui Honoka gave birth to her first child on January 17th.
Terui was a fourth generation member of NMB48 and was active from 2012 to 2015. Last July, she announced that she was four months pregnant, and on January 18th, she revealed on Instagram, "A healthy 3,100 gram (6 lb 13 oz) baby boy was born."
On December 29, singer AI (35) updated her Instagram account announcing the birth of her second child.
She wrote, "My baby was born without any problems. I am so thankful. It's a baby boy. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!"
A court in Osaka has sentenced a man to death for the murders of a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy.
48-year-old Koji Yamada was accused of suffocating the children from Neyagawa City in August 2015.
It's been reported that singer Hitoto Yo (42) is pregnant with her third child.
Hitoto Yo made her singing debut in 2002 with "Morainaki," but it wasn't until 2004 when her song "Hanamizuki" became a hit and made her break. She married guitarist Yamaguchi Shuhei in April of 2015, and at the same time, announced her first pregnancy. Her first child, a son, was born in November of the same year, then she gave birth to her second child, a daughter in July of 2017.
On December 8, actor Sugiura Taiyou's (37) wife, former Morning Musume member Tsuji Nozomi (32) has birth to their fourth child, a 2,655 gram (5 lbs 13 oz) baby boy.
Both Tsuji and Sugiura made the happy announcement on their official blogs. She expressed, "Once again, I felt how risky and miraculous it is to give birth to a new life. Also, no matter how many times you do it, every birth is different! And no matter how many times I've experienced it, it's painful!"
Former table tennis player Fukuhara Ai (30) is pregnant with her second child. Her husband table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh (29) made the announcement through his official Twitter.
Chiang uploaded a photo of himself, Fukuhara and their daughter Aira, and announced, "Thank you always for your support! I have an announcement for everyone. Next spring, Aira-chan will become a big sister."
Actor Sakai Masato's (45) wife, actress Kanno Miho (41) has announced the birth of her second child.
In the announcement, Kanno wrote, "At this time, our second child, a baby girl has been born. Thanks to everyone, both the baby and I are healthy. I feel irreplaceable joy that a new member has joined our family. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me from the bottom of my heart."
Model/singer Tsuchiya Anna (34) has announced the birth of her fourth child.
Tsuchiya wrote on her Twitter and Instagram, "A healthy baby girl was born on November 18, the same birthday as Mickey Mouse. With another member added to our family, it will become more lively, but please continue to support us."
On October 31, comedian Jinnai Tomonori updated his Twitter account announcing that he and his wife, announcer Matsumura Mio have welcomed their first child.
Jinnah wrote, "Today, I became a father. Thank you for giving birth to her! Thank you for being born! They both worked hard. It's a healthy baby girl."