(See Fig. IV-2 )
  According to the comparison and the examination of major crime trends in 1999 among U. S. A., U. K. (limited to England and Wales for the purpose of this chapter), Germany and France with those of Japan, the number of reported cases and the crime rates in Japan are the lowest of the five countries, while the clearance rates in Japan are the second highest, following Germany.

Fig. IV-2 Trends in the number of reported cases and crime rate of major offenses in five countries (1980-1999)

  With respect to larceny, the number of reported cases in Japan is the lowest. However, while the number of reported cases of larceny has been decreasing in the above four countries except for Japan, Japan is the only country among the five countries to have experienced an increase. With respect to the clearance rate, Japan fell from the top and ranked second after Germany.