Japanese police received 98,289 requests for consultations over domestic violence in 2025, up 3.5% year on year and hitting the highest level since the 2001 entry into force of the law for preventing such acts, National Police Agency data showed Thursday.
The figure has increased for 22 years in a row. Men accounted for some 30% of the victims.
Of the total, police took action on 8,358 cases, down 0.7%. Violence and assaults made up about 90%, and murder and attempted murder accounted for 128 cases, while 88 cases were for violations of restraining and other orders for the protection of victims.
The number of children up to 17 years old who were referred to child consultation centers by police over suspected abuse went up 0.2% to 122,588.
Child abuse cases that led to arrests or other police actions fell 2.2% to 2,592, and the number of victims in the cases decreased 2% to 2,647, both marking the second-highest figures.
The number of cases for which police actions were taken based on reports from child consultation centers came to a record 1,131, indicating that cooperation between police and such centers is progressing.
The NPA also said that requests for consultations over what¡¯s known as revenge pornography jumped 18.1% to a record 2,514, up for the ninth consecutive year.
Of all victims, about 80% were in their 20s or younger.
Romantic partners accounted for 44.4% of offenders in all cases. Online-only acquaintances accounted for 33.4%.
Police took actions on 393 cases, up 18.3%, including 65 cases that amounted to violations of the revenge pornography prevention law.
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