Major Crime Victims’ Group Disbanded after 18 Years

June 4, 2018

Tokyo- A major Japanese group for crime victims and their families was disbanded on Sunday after 18 years of activities.

The National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families, or NAVS, held its final gathering in Tokyo, bringing together some 210 people, including 60 members and Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

NAVS, set up in 2000, worked for the establishment of the basic law on crime victims and the launch of a system allowing crime victims to participate in trials.

The association decided on the dissolution because of the aging of its members and an improvement in the environment surrounding crime victims and their families.

"NAVS has finished playing its role, while new victims are created," founder Isao Okamura, 89, said. "From now, the issue of victims will be handled by the state and its people."

Okamura expressed thanks to the association's members and supporters. He founded the organization after his wife was killed by a person with a grudge against a company he was working for as an attorney.

NAVS head Tsuneo Matsumura, 76, said he felt his chagrin disappear when the establishment of the trial participation system was decided in 2007. He had lost a granddaughter to murder.

Kyoko Ino, 68, said the association saved her, who had felt isolated after her daughter was killed by a stalker in Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture.

At its peak, NAVS had 375 members, but the membership shrank to around 270. In recent years, the group received few inquiries about its support for crime victims and their families. Jiji Press