Japan police handle 353 cyberbullying cases in 2021

Jiji Press

16:28 JST, April 7, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The number of bullying cases on social media in Japan on which police took action grew by 40 from the preceding year to 353 in 2021, National Police Agency data showed Thursday.

Of the total, 315 were for defamation and 38 for insulting. Besides, there were 387 cases of intimidation and 325 cases of anti-stalking law violation.

Bullying on social media has emerged as a serious issue in the country following the apparent suicide by a television reality show celebrity who had faced abusive comments online.

Police are actively responding to cyberbulling based on requests for consultations from victims.

Police took action on a record high of 12,209 cybercrime cases in total last year. The number of fraud cases including theft of IDs for cashless payment services came to 3,457, the most on record.

The NPA launched Friday a cyber police bureau as part of its efforts to crack down on cybercrime.