Section 2  Trends in Crimes

1 Penal code offenses

  Fig. 3-1-2-1 shows the numbers of cases and persons cleared for non-traffic penal code offenses committed by visiting foreign nationals and by other foreign nationals.
  The number of cleared cases committed by foreign nationals has been on a rise since 2002, and reached the record high in 2005 with 43,622 cases, but turned to decline since 2006 and was 37,314 cases in 2007, a decrease of 51 (0.1%) from the previous year. Also, the number of persons cleared has been on a rise since 1999, and reached the record high in 2005 with 14,786 persons, but turned to decline since 2006 and was 13,339 in 2007, a decrease of 1,079 (7.5%) from the previous year (see Appendix 3-1). The ratio of foreign nationals among the total (365,577) of persons cleared for non-traffic penal code offenses accounted for 3.6% in 2007.

Fig. 3-1-2-1  Number of cases and persons cleared for non-traffic penal code offenses committed by visiting foreign nationals and by other foreign nationals (1980–2007)

  There have been more cases and persons cleared for non-traffic penal code offenses committed by visiting foreign nationals than by other foreign nationals since 1993 and 1991, respectively. The number of cases cleared for non-traffic penal code offenses committed by visiting foreign nationals reached the record high in 2005, then turned to decline since 2006. It decreased by 1,723 (6.3%) in 2007 from the previous year. Also, the number of cleared persons reached the record high in 2004, but decreased consecutively for three years.
  Fig. 3-1-2-2 shows the trends in the number of cleared cases for theft and robbery committed by visiting foreign nationals over the last 10 years.
  Theft showed a record high in 2005, but turned to decline since 2006 and decreased by 1,810 (7.8%) from the previous year in 2007.
  Robbery showed a record high in 2004, but had decreased for three consecutive years since 2005.

Fig. 3-1-2-2  Number of cleared theft and robbery cases committed by visiting foreign nationals (1998–2007)