Dear readers, I recently wrote about why in Japan crime is low and why living in Tokyo wouldn't be a bad idea. Indeed, Japan is famous for its good public safety compared to other countries. This, of course, does not mean that Japan is paradise on earth. For instance, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD), there were approximately 62,000 crimes in Tokyo’s central 23 wards in 2020.
Number of crimes by ward
Even between neighboring wards, there is a large difference in the number of crimes. It also depends on the presence or absence of entertainment districts, terminal stations where a large number of people gather, and the level of crime prevention measures in the ward.
The TMPD has divided crimes into five main categories:
Violent crimes, including robbery
Violent crimes such as assault and intimidation
Break-in theft such as office break-ins and burglary
Non-break-in theft such as bicycle theft, pickpocketing, and snatching
Other crimes including fraud
Tokyo’s five best central wards based on the number of crimes are:
1st: Bunkyo Ward
Centrally located Bunkyo Ward is famous for its good public safety. In addition to having many schools, including universities and high schools, and cultural facilities such as libraries, the number of adult entertainment establishments and pachinko parlors is extremely low compared to other wards. Police officers are often seen patrolling the streets, which also serves as a crime deterrent.
2nd: Arakawa Ward
Arakawa Ward declared itself a "Crime Prevention City" in 2004, aiming to become the number one ward for public safety. In addition to strengthening crime prevention patrols, one of its characteristics is that it provides subsidies for the purchase of crime prevention products so that residents in the ward can strengthen their crime prevention measures. As a result, they now have one of the lowest crime levels in Tokyo.
3rd: Meguro Ward
Located south of Shibuya, Meguro Ward is home to many families with children. Residents are highly crime-conscious, and regular patrols are conducted, mainly by families. Efforts to suppress crime are spreading throughout the ward, such as crime prevention courses for children and strengthening crackdowns on abandoned bicycles
I had to laugh when I read the last point. In New York, London or Paris, abandoned bicycles would be the last of their worries.
4th: Chuo Ward
Another centrally located ward, Chuo is bustling with people going to and from commercial facilities and offices during the day, mainly around Ginza. The district is characterized by its cleanliness, regular patrols, and few dark streets at night. The ward provides patrol equipment so that residents' associations and PTAs can patrol and watch over their neighborhoods independently, and dispatches crime prevention advisors to apartment complexes and other buildings to provide advice on whether there are any crime prevention blind spots in the area.
5th: Sumida Ward
Sumida Ward is impressive for its clean streets that have been redeveloped around the Tokyo Skytree while still retaining the atmosphere of the old downtown area. With the exception of the area around Kinshicho Station, which is home to many adult entertainment establishments and izakayas (pub/restaurants), there are many areas with low crime rates and good public safety. The ward has a crime prevention center, and measures have been strengthened to prevent crimes against children and women in particular.
Next, are Tokyo's most unsafe wards based on crime rate
1st: Shinjuku Ward
The number of crimes in Shinjuku Ward was 4,700, about five times that of Bunkyo Ward. More than 10% of crimes occurring in the 23 wards of Tokyo occur in Shinjuku Ward. Inside Shinjuku, the area known for its particularly bad public safety is Kabukicho, which is densely packed with adult entertainment establishments and pachinko parlors. There are particularly many crimes such as assault, and (AGAIN!) bicycle theft.
On the other hand, other areas inside Shinjuku Ward, such as Yotsuya and Kagurazaka, have fewer crimes and are considered to be safe. Keep in mind that public safety varies from place to place, even within the same ward.
2nd: Setagaya Ward
This one may come as a surprise to those who know Tokyo because Setagaya Ward has many quiet residential areas and is often perceived as a calm area. However, perhaps because there are many residential areas where people with relatively high incomes live, the number of burglaries is the highest in the 23 wards. In order to prevent crimes, patrol cars roam the ward 24 hours a day.
3rd: Ota Ward
The southernmost ward in Tokyo, Ota is also the largest of the 23 wards, and has a variety of characteristics, such as old industrial and small factory areas, as well as quiet residential areas. The areas with relatively high crime rates and public safety concerns are Kamata, Omori Kita and Omori Nishi. On the other hand, the Denenchofu area, known for its quiet residential areas, has good public safety and is a safe place to live.
4th: Edogawa Ward
Edogawa Ward is known for its generous child-rearing support and the largest park area among the 23 wards. The areas with relatively high crime rates and public safety concerns are mainly Koiwa and Kasai. The ward has an image of being unsafe, but as a result of various crime prevention measures, the number of crimes has been decreasing every year.
5th: Adachi Ward
Many people have an image of Adachi Ward being unsafe. In particular, the area around Kita-Senju Station is famous for its poor public safety, with many adult entertainment establishments, cabaret clubs, pachinko parlors, etc. However, if you go away from the station, there are residential areas where many families live, so it can be said that the unsafe places are limited to certain areas.
However, there is another way to look at those data. Here’s a different Best 5 ranking list:
1st: Suginami Ward: 2,519 cases; 572,997 people; 0.44%
2nd: Setagaya Ward: 4,084 cases; 918,413 people; 0.44%
3rd: Nerima Ward: 3,480 cases, 741,820 people, 0.47%
4th: Bunkyo Ward: 1,104 cases; 232,319 people; 0.48%
5th: Meguro Ward: 1,346 cases; 279,669 people; 0.48%
Do you notice any difference?
While Bunkyo and Meguro are still there, Setagaya Ward, that in the earlier list belonged to the “bad places,” has suddenly become the second-best ward in central Tokyo. That’s because while its 4,084 cases are only second to Shinjuku, Setagaya is also one of Tokyo’s most populous districts, resulting in a very small percentage.
If you visit or plan to move to Tokyo, you may want to check the Crime Information Map published by the Metropolitan Police Department (only in Japanese, unfortunately). You can check the occurrence of crimes such as snatch thefts and burglaries throughout the city on a map. Information on suspicious people who approach children and women is updated every two weeks, so it will be useful for women living alone and families looking for a room.
The map allows you to check the crime situation by block name. Even within the same ward, there are areas with high and low crime rates, so it is useful when you want to check the security situation in a more detailed area.
You might like to consider that the police in Japan have a 99% success rate for convictions. In other words if you caught you'll be punished. I'd think that is a factor in considering safety..
I made a rare visit to a "Mini Stop" convenience store the other day. Some incident had occurred, apparently minor as there wasno sign of injury or damage and the place wasn't sealed as a crime scene. Three policemen were in attendance. Who were promptly followed by another... Five. I wondered if my local police don't have enough to do?
On the other hand, a police car constantly tours the area warning people against online and phone fraud. It might seem an odd way to do it, but many of the victims are older people who - perhaps - take more notice of this kind of warning.