QUOTE
Crimes committed by foreigners in Japan rose to a new high in 2005, a police report said Friday.
Foreigners in Japan committed 47,874 crimes, a 3 percent increase over 2004, and prosecutors were asked to pursue cases against 21,179 individuals, according to statistics released by the National Police Agency.
Chinese suspects comprised the greatest number, accounting for 41 percent of the total, followed by South Koreans at 9.6 percent, the report said.
Illegal immigrants accounted for a little more than half of the arrests, the report said. The majority of their cases were related to immigration violations, with no other crime involved, it said.
Crimes involving foreigners are the focus of intense media scrutiny in Japan, though they account for about 2 percent of all offenses committed.
Critics allege the foreign crime data, released annually with great publicity, scapegoat a group that accounts for less than 2 percent of Japan's population of 128 million.
Foreigners in Japan committed 47,874 crimes, a 3 percent increase over 2004, and prosecutors were asked to pursue cases against 21,179 individuals, according to statistics released by the National Police Agency.
Chinese suspects comprised the greatest number, accounting for 41 percent of the total, followed by South Koreans at 9.6 percent, the report said.
Illegal immigrants accounted for a little more than half of the arrests, the report said. The majority of their cases were related to immigration violations, with no other crime involved, it said.
Crimes involving foreigners are the focus of intense media scrutiny in Japan, though they account for about 2 percent of all offenses committed.
Critics allege the foreign crime data, released annually with great publicity, scapegoat a group that accounts for less than 2 percent of Japan's population of 128 million.
