Number of cleared cyber crime cases in Japan 2012-2019

The number of cleared cyber crime cases in Japan amounted to more than 9.5 thousand in 2019. It has gradually increased in recent years.

Many cleared cases concern child exploitation

A breakdown of cleared cyber crime cases revealed that the most common type were violations of the laws against child prostitution and child pornography. These issues continue to be a problem in Japan despite a revision of the legislation in 2014 following international concern about the sexual exploitation of children in Japan. Other crimes included fraud, unauthorized access, and infringements of the copyright law. The number of online banking frauds surged in 2019, and the amount of money lost through damage caused by online banking fraud increased accordingly.

Illegal business practices a prevalent issue

Next to the number of cleared crime cases, which is highly dependent on the activity and prioritization of law enforcement institutions, another indicator for the prevalence of different issues is the number of cyber crime consultations, which remained on a high level in recent years. A breakdown of cyber crime related consultations showed that most consultations were concerned with illegal business practices. A survey on the leading internet security measures implemented by companies revealed that installing antivirus programs on devices was the most common measure taken by companies to protect themselves from online threats.