The number of reported child-abuse cases increased 16-fold between fiscal 1990 and 2000, according to a government report released Tuesday.
The Cabinet Office's annual white paper on youth showed that reported abuse cases rose from 1,101 in fiscal 1990 to 17,275 in fiscal 2000.
The number of cases reported to child welfare centers and police has been rising every year since the government began compiling statistics in 1990.