Saturday, December 22, 2007
Osaka-fu: the Bryan Adams of bag-snatching
OSAKA--Total purse-snatchings in Osaka Prefecture this year will be less than 5,000, the prefecture's lowest total in 15 years but still the worst in the nation, a recent survey by the Osaka prefectural police predicts.
The prefecture has this year seen 4,303 purse-snatchings as of Nov. 30, according to the survey.
However, the prefecture is likely to finish the year with more purse-snatchings than any other prefecture, continuing its run of 32 consecutive years. At the time of the survey, the prefecture had seen about 1,700 more snatchings this year than Tokyo, the next worst.
Purse-snatchings had increased each year in the prefecture since 1976, when it ranked worst in the nation with 735 cases, according to the police. The figure reached 10,973 in 2000.
Authorities have made concerted efforts in recent years to address the problem. In 2002 the police established an investigative office for street crime and crime involving intruders, and the prefectural government increased promotion of public safety measures. Improvements came, with total purse-snatching cases in the prefecture dropping to 5,311 last year.
This year the police arrested several groups of repeat offenders, including a group of teenagers from Kadoma in the prefecture and tried to raise public awareness about the problem through commercials aired in Osaka, Suita and other cities, urging people to refrain from using a mobile phone while walking.
Purse-snatchings still worst in Osaka Prefecture
The Yomiuri Shimbun
***
The VMM informed me a few years back that Neyagawa city, where I am currently working (centred around Neyagawa-shi station, highlighted yellow on the map), was the bag-snatching capital of Japan. I thanked him and passed this information on to my students along with warnings to clutch their Gucci like a football and under no circumstances to go anywhere near the VMM.
Nice to see Kadoma (red) representing the Keihan line also. Country and bad boys.
For those unfamiliar with the area, the left-hand side of the map is Osaka, the right-hand side is Kyoto.
The prefecture has this year seen 4,303 purse-snatchings as of Nov. 30, according to the survey.
However, the prefecture is likely to finish the year with more purse-snatchings than any other prefecture, continuing its run of 32 consecutive years. At the time of the survey, the prefecture had seen about 1,700 more snatchings this year than Tokyo, the next worst.
Purse-snatchings had increased each year in the prefecture since 1976, when it ranked worst in the nation with 735 cases, according to the police. The figure reached 10,973 in 2000.
Authorities have made concerted efforts in recent years to address the problem. In 2002 the police established an investigative office for street crime and crime involving intruders, and the prefectural government increased promotion of public safety measures. Improvements came, with total purse-snatching cases in the prefecture dropping to 5,311 last year.
This year the police arrested several groups of repeat offenders, including a group of teenagers from Kadoma in the prefecture and tried to raise public awareness about the problem through commercials aired in Osaka, Suita and other cities, urging people to refrain from using a mobile phone while walking.
Purse-snatchings still worst in Osaka Prefecture
The Yomiuri Shimbun
***
The VMM informed me a few years back that Neyagawa city, where I am currently working (centred around Neyagawa-shi station, highlighted yellow on the map), was the bag-snatching capital of Japan. I thanked him and passed this information on to my students along with warnings to clutch their Gucci like a football and under no circumstances to go anywhere near the VMM.
Nice to see Kadoma (red) representing the Keihan line also. Country and bad boys.
For those unfamiliar with the area, the left-hand side of the map is Osaka, the right-hand side is Kyoto.
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This week's top news (for me).
Yesterday in Neyagawa, two PET ostriches escaped from the cage. One was hit by a car and died on Route 1, and the other was caught by a neighbour. Poor astriches...
BTW, Kadoma used to be the worst city in Japan for a devorce rate.
Yesterday in Neyagawa, two PET ostriches escaped from the cage. One was hit by a car and died on Route 1, and the other was caught by a neighbour. Poor astriches...
BTW, Kadoma used to be the worst city in Japan for a devorce rate.
# posted by 
: 10:27 PM
: 10:27 PM
Were the ostriches pets in a regular household or at some kind of mental clinic? I remember reading somewhere that ostriches were very popular pets at mental clinics.
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