Examining the recent state of criminal affairs in Japan reveals the number of reported cases of non-traffic penal code offenses to have been a record postwar high in 2002, following which however it decreased for four years in a row. Although there is a somewhat strong sign of it decreasing at present, it is still at a high level.
  In this state of criminal affairs, the offenders who are the primary factor therein can be divided into the first offenders and repeat offenders. Despite the fact that the number of repeat offenders is relatively a small proportion of total offenders, the number of crimes committed by them is a remarkably high percentage of the total number of crimes, and is thus a great threat and damage to society on the one hand, while on the other hand, as offenders commit offenses repeatedly, their inclination toward crime advances, making it difficult to realize their reform and rehabilitation.
  Preventing recidivism is one of the important but difficult tasks of criminal policy, with a lot of research having taken place on it for a long time. At the Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice, too, the issue of recidivism has already been focused upon in special articles, with various analyses having been made of it in the White Paper on Crime 1978 and White Paper on Crime 1988. However, about 20 years have passed since then, and the state of social affairs has greatly changed while the state of criminal affairs has also deteriorated considerably when compared to in those days. Also, in recent years, the establishment of effective countermeasures to prevent recidivism has become a social concern, especially because a succession of serious repeat offenses has been committed by released prisoners, etc. In the field of criminal justice, various new approaches are being taken. For example, the Ministry of Justice developed a sexual offenders treatment program, which has been facilitated with those subject to the program at penal institutions and probation offices. In addition, in collaboration between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, employment support has been implemented for sentenced inmates and inmates at juvenile training schools, persons under probation/parole supervision and persons subject to urgent aftercare of discharged offenders as the “Comprehensive Employment Support Measures for Released Inmates, etc.”
  Because of these circumstances, the decision was made that this White Paper would have a special article entitled the “Circumstances and Attributes of Repeat Offenders and Countermeasures to Recidivism,” so that an overview of the criminal trends in recent years and the actual conditions of offenders' treatment centered around the year 2006 could then be taken, and the data conducive to recidivism countermeasures, which is an important task of criminal policy, can be provided as well.
  This special article reveals the importance of countermeasures against repeat offenders and the recent trends in repeat offenses mainly through analyses of criminal records/statistical data and takes an overview of the actual circumstances of repeat offenders from various points of view, such as the offense, age, sentencing and attributes. It further considers the characteristics of repeat cases of homicide as representative of serious offenses by making a special research and examining motives/causes, the relationship with victims, modus operandi, the attributes of offenders, etc. It also introduces what countermeasures are being taken at present at each of the prosecution, trial, correction and rehabilitation stages, as well as through collaborations between the various agencies concerned. Last of all, it mentions a number of points that should be specially considered when discussing measures for preventing recidivism, taking into account the analyses/research, etc. available, and then attempt to present points of view for future preventive measures against recidivism.
  It would be fortunate if this White Paper can be of use in discussing and researching the measures for prevention of recidivism, and make a contribution, even in a small way, to the process of deepening understanding of citizens and at the community level of future preventive measures against recidivism.
  Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the General Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Japan, the Cabinet Office, National Police Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and other relevant agencies for their enormous cooperation in compiling this White Paper.

November 2007

  Eiji Matsunaga
  President
  Research and Training Institute
  Ministry of Justice
  Japan

  This White Paper was undertaken during Mr. Eiji Matsunaga's presidency at the Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice of Japan, and thereafter, he has been promoted to Superintending Prosecutor of the Nagoya High Prosecutors Office.

January 2009

  Yoshinobu Onuki
  President
  Research and Training
  Institute
  Ministry of Justice
  Japan