Ah, So

September 26, 2012

Sex offenders required to report addresses in Osaka, a first in Japan

"Beginning on October 1st, a new law in Osaka Prefecture will require sex offenders with convictions related to child molestation to report their address to the local government after leaving prison. An act such as this is the first for Japan, and the Ministry of Justice also reveals that the offender’s criminal records will given to the Osaka government. This law came about after originally being proposed by Governor Toru Hashimoto, however the punishment for failing to follow-up with the requirements is a somewhat paltry 50,000 yen (approx. $643)."

http://japandailypress.com/sex-offenders-required-to-report-addresses-in-osaka-a-first-in-japan-2613311
 
Osaka to be informed of sex offenders' criminal records

http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/osaka-to-be-informed-of-sex-offenders-criminal-records
 
Japan's child porn addiction 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japans-child-porn-addiction-8208043.html

From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 11, 2012

Osaka ordinance on sex offenders a model for protection of kids 

"About 4,000 to 5,000 cases of sexual violence against children are recorded by police every year. There must be many more that go undetected.

Many sex offenders tend to repeatedly commit similar acts of abuse. According to the National Police Agency, 105 of 740 sex offenders against children who were released from prison from 2005 to 2010 were found to have later committed similar acts. Moreover, 57 of them reportedly did so in their first year out of prison.

How can sex offenders against children be deterred from committing similar acts? This should be the main pillar of measures to protect youngsters from sexual violence.

In this regard, an ordinance the Osaka prefectural government put into effect just this month is worthy of attention.

If people who sexually assaulted victims younger than 18 live within the prefecture after being released from prison, the ordinance obligates them to report their personal information--such as address and kind of crime--to the prefectural government over the five years after they completed their terms. Such residents are subject to a civil fine if they fail to do so.

It is reportedly the first ordinance of its kind in the nation."

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/editorial/T121011003095.htm

Monitoring sex offenders

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20121025a1.html