The number of reported crimes nationwide has edged down after seven consecutive years of record highs, National Police Agency chief Hidehiko Sato said Monday.
Sato claimed the roughly 1.28 percent decline is a victory in the agency's attempt to restore the country's tarnished law-abiding image.
His remarks came during a meeting in Tokyo of prefectural police chiefs, NPA officials said. Sato said crimes such as burglary are still on the rise, and police need to launch a crackdown on these offenses.
There were 30,000 fewer cases of crime in the January- October period compared with a year earlier, NPA officials said. The figure excludes negligence causing injury or death in traffic violations and is based on law-enforcement recognition of an offense following complaints to police or prosecutors.
NPA statistics show about 2.85 million cases of crimes were reported to police in 2002. There were roughly 2.31 million cases between January and October this year.