The author first reviewed historic trends in homicide in Japan as well as the categories of homicide specified in the Japanese Penal Code. The study itself examined patterns of motive, method of killing, sex, age, and the relationship between victim and accused. These statistics were then compared with the patterns determined from a similar analysis of homicide statistics for England and Wales. The focus was on three of the five categories of homicide defined in the Japanese Penal Code: murder, infanticide, and parricide. The study's primary source for statistics was the Heisei 00nen no Hanzai: Hanzai Tokeisho, which has been published annually since 1948 by the National Police Agency. The statistical analysis showed that men predominated as both victims and suspects in the homicides from 1989 to 1995. Homicides typically occurred between friends or relatives, and the most commonly used weapons were knives. The most common motives were hatred and sexual jealousy. The comparison with a similar study of homicide statistics in England and Wales found similar patterns with two exceptions: the influence of organized criminal gangs and the possibility that in the case of parricide much of the violence was directed by sons against their mothers. 3 tables, 33 references, appended information on statistical sources and Penal Code classifications, and a glossary