Crime in Japan: Paradise Lost?

This book is ambitious. Not only is it one of a small but growing number of books about crime in Japan written in English, but it also draws together issues around criminal justice policy, economics, culture and mental health as pertinent factors in rising crime and rising punitiveness in Japan in the last 20 years.

The main argument of the book is that although increasing crime rates are a real concern in Japan, the Government's tougher stance on law and order is impacting most oppressively on vulnerable people who may react by social withdrawal to the point of suicide. Leonardsen argues that in a culture where obedience, conformity and submission are prevalent values, combating crime with an ‘iron fist’ is likely to be counterproductive.

In Chapter 1, Leonardsen acknowledges the ongoing...