Developing the first Japanese independent crime victimization survey

日本一直享有作为最无犯罪的经济发达国家之一的声誉。然而，自1990年代后期以来，随着记录在案的犯罪率不断上升，警方统计的破案率不断下降，日本公众似乎对刑事司法系统的安全和有效性失去了信心。2004年的一项公众态度调查显示，认为犯罪情况恶化的公众比例为40%，而1998年只有19%。日本安全状况恶化的说法一直得到官方警方犯罪统计数据的支持。然而，这些统计数据是否准确反映了当代日本的犯罪状况，这一点很重要。换句话说，警方的犯罪统计数据实际上衡量的是什么？本研究项目由两部分组成。第一部分审查了日本和其他发达国家的警察统计数据和其他衡量犯罪的统计数据的有效性和可靠性，如生命统计数据和受害情况调查。第一部分的结果汇编成册，题为“犯罪统计介绍”，于2006年出版。2006年起草并试行了一份调查问卷，在全国随机抽样2 000人。总有效率为60.4%。样本分为两组，每组采用不同的数据收集方法。一组采用面对面访谈，另一组采用接送问卷。面对面访谈问卷的回答率为53.1%，接送问卷的回答率为67.7%。总之，我们发现，将2006年的调查结果与2000年和2004年的ICVS调查结果进行比较，日本的受害率在2000年至2006年期间保持稳定。

Japan has enjoyed the reputation for being one of the most crime-free economically advanced countries. However, since the late 1990s, with a constantly increasing recorded crime rate and falling clearance rate in police statistics, it appears that the Japanese public has lost confidence in its safety and the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. A 2004 survey of public attitudes showed that the proportion of the public who thought crime was getting worse was 40% compared to only 19% in 1998. The discourse of deteriorating safety in Japan has always been supported by official police crime statistics. However, it is important to ask whether these statistics are an accurate picture of the crime situation in contemporary Japan? In other words, what do police crime statistics actually measure?This research project consists of two parts. The first part examines the validity and reliability of the police statistics and other statistics measuring crimes such as vital statistics and victimization surveys in Japan, as well as in other developed countries. The result of the first part is compiled and published as a book entitled "Introduction to crime statistics" in 2006.The second part of the project is to develop the first Japanese independent victimization survey, including a questionnaire and sampling design and methodology. A survey questionnaire was drafted and piloted in 2006, with a random national sample of 2,000. The total response rate was 60.4%. The sample was divided into two groups and each group adopted different methods of data collection. In one group, we conducted face-to-face interview, in another group we used leave-and-pick-up questionnaires. The response rate of face-to-face interview was 53.1% and 67.7% for the leave-and pick-up questionnaires. Over all, we found that, in comparing the results of the 2006 survey with the ICVS in 2000 and in 2004, victimization rates in Japan have been stable between 2000 and 2006.