This Section covers the following three offenses as high-technology offenses:(a) offenses involving computers or electromagnetic records;(b) offenses using cyber networks; and(c) violations of the Unauthorized Computer Access Law.
  Offenses involving computers or electromagnetic records refer to computer fraud,illegal production,use,and destruction of various electromagnetic records,and obstruction of business by destroying a computer,etc..Offenses using cyber networks refer to offenses via the Internet,such as fraud,sales of illegal goods,and the sales/distribution of child pornography,etc.Violations of the Unauthorized Computer Access Law refer to acts of using ID numbers or passwords of other persons to log in without lawful authority,hacking(cracking)computer systems or helping other person to do these unauthorized computer accessing acts.
  Table1-3-5-1 shows the number of cases cleared for high-technology offenses over the last five years.

Table1-3-5-1  Number of cases cleared for high-technology offenses(2000-2004)

  The number of offenses using cyber network has grown,especially fraud and violations of the Law against Child Prostitution and Pornography.
  Cases cleared for violations of the Unauthorized Computer Access Law have generally increased since the Law was enforced in2000.
  As for the number of cleared cases for offenses relating to electromagnetic records of payment cards,see Chapter1,Section2-6 of this Part.
  Table1-3-5-2 shows the number of handguns seized and recognized by the police to have been traded via the Internet over the last five years.
The number of such handguns increased significantly until2003,indicating a serious impact on public security of computer networks misused for offenses.However,the large-scale smuggling case committed by Japanese nationals living in the United States since around2000was almost resolved in2003,and the number of seized handguns decreased sharply to55in2004.

Table1-3-5-2  Number of seized handguns traded via the Internet(2000-2004)