1.72 Times Higher? Inside Tokyo's Courts Grappling with Foreigner Crime Statistics

Is the crime rate for foreigners in Japan truly 1.72 times higher than for locals? A claim made in the Diet has ignited a fierce debate over public safety and immigration. But a look inside the Tokyo District Court reveals a more complex reality that statistics alone can't explain.

A Statistic Sparks Debate

The controversy began when an opposition party member stated in parliament that "for every one Japanese, there have been 1.72 foreigners" arrested. However, Taihei Ogawa, a former police detective turned crime journalist, clarified that these figures are based on the number of arrests made by the police, not the actual number of crimes committed. Ogawa speculated that if all crimes were included, "the rate of crimes by foreigners would be more than double." The exchange quickly spread online, fueling concerns that increasing the number of foreign workers would negatively impact public safety.

A View from the Gallery

To understand the situation on the ground, journalist Goro Kazamatsuri of Asahi Geino spent about a month observing trials at the Tokyo District Court. According to his report, on one day in November, seven out of a total of 69 court sessions (roughly 10%) involved foreign nationals. On other days, the ratio ran as high as 20%.

The cases varied widely. A 45-year-old Chinese woman, in Japan on a tourist visa, was prosecuted for providing illegal services at a massage parlor. She was fined 500,000 yen, but the fine was effectively cancelled out by time served awaiting trial, and she faces deportation. In contrast, a 45-year-old Chinese man with residency status was suspected of stealing tools valued at 150,000 yen from construction sites. Given his prior record, he faces a more severe penalty. In another case, a 26-year-old Nepalese man was fined 200,000 yen for interfering with police duties after allegedly punching an officer while intoxicated.

The System's Bottleneck: Interpreters

The rising caseload has exposed another strain on the justice system: securing qualified court interpreters. Kazamatsuri noted that while English and Chinese pose no problem, it's difficult to find interpreters for languages like Pashto, Sinhalese, or Kurdish. The situation has become so critical that trial dates are sometimes determined not by the schedules of judges or attorneys, but by the availability of interpreters. It’s a clear sign that the issues of crimes by foreigners seldom end at their arrest, but extend into the complicated details of judicial post-processing.