Safety of 2,936 children in Japan uncertain: government survey

March 1, 2019

Tokyo--The number of children in Japan whose safety was uncertain as of the end of November totaled 2,936, the welfare ministry said in a survey report Thursday.

First, 15,270 children who have not received early childhood medical checkups or attended childcare facilities and schools were identified as those whose safety was not confirmed as of June 1 last year.

Of them, the safety of 2,936 children was not confirmed by municipal officials by the end of November.

The survey was conducted in response to the death of an abused five-year-old girl in Tokyo last year.

Preschoolers made up the largest share, with 2,480 children, or 84.5 pct of the total, followed by elementary school students, with 263, or 9.0 pct, junior high school students, with 147, or 5.0 pct, and children who have graduated from junior high school, with 46, or 1.6 pct.

By prefecture, Tokyo led the pack with 921 children whose safety was not known, followed by Chiba, with 238 children.

Of children whose safety has been confirmed, 143 were found to have been abused. Of them, 10 children were placed in temporary protective custody by child consultation centers. Jiji Press