Serious juvenile delinquency is increasing in Japan, although it remains remarkably low by international standards. Court proceedings were initiated for 69,646 juveniles ages 14-19 in the first half of 1997, mostly for minor matters, including traffic law offenses. However, 1,590 juveniles were charged with serious offenses, including murder, robbery, arson, and sexual assaults. During the first 9 months of 1997, 1,193 young people were investigated for drug law offenses. Numerous reasons have been proposed for the current rise in juvenile delinquency. Family court juvenile proceedings are held in private. All prosecution evidence is provided in written form. Defense attorneys may appear in court. Written confessions are common. Court orders for juvenile delinquents aim to achieve rehabilitation rather than punishment. However, juveniles placed in a reformatory or juvenile correction center are deprived of their liberty. Proposed law reforms include reducing the age of criminal responsibility, trying juveniles in adult courts with open proceedings, and shifting away from treatment and rehabilitation towards punishment and deterrence. Others have proposed for more safeguards for accused youth, given the sweeping powers of detention and interrogation, but they recognize the remote chance of such reform in the present situation of public concerns about increasing serious juvenile crime. Footnotes