Systems Available for Crime Victims*, etc

Designated Victim Support for Crime Victims

The police have set up a “Designated Victim Support Staff” whereby the police designate a police officer separate from the officer in charge of the criminal investigation.

The officer’s responsibility will be to guide and accompany the victims to the courthouse and help them with the hearing procedure when a case that requires specialized victim support staff assistance such as homicide, assault, injury, hit and run or afatal traffic accident, is taking place.

The Victim Support Staff will provide the following support:

• Witness Assistance and Support
  • Arrangement of the hospital if an assessment by a doctor is necessary, accompaniment to hospital.
  • Presence at the on-the-spot investigation
  • Transportation to and from the victim’s home
• Hearing
  • Counselling for anxiety issues (personal care issues, etc.)
  • Assistance in interview and preparation of victim statement
• Introduction, handover to private victim support groups and external counsellors, etc. For details please contact your local police or police headquarters.

Support systems for psychological trauma

When crime victims receive tremendous psychological trauma, to various degrees, they will suffer from the following physical and psychological injuries:

In some cases the victims develop mental disorders (such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, etc.).

To assist the crime victims, etc. recover from psychological trauma, the police have set up a counseling system for the victims, etc. such as having counseling specialists and collaboration with psychiatrist and private counselors. For more details please contact your local police station or police headquarters.

Financial Assistance and Various Assistance/Welfare Systems

Reducing the financial burden of the crime victims, etc.

When the victims have been injured, etc. due to a crime, the police will offer some payment towards the following medical expenses in order to reduce the financial burden of the crime victims, etc.

Victims of Crime Benefits System

The Victims of Crime Benefits System provides support for the bereaved, whereby the government issues benefits to those who have not received sufficient restitution from the criminal. after the victim is killed, seriously injured, or suffers from severe disease or residue disability through deliberate criminal conduct.

The benefits are paid in the form of a lump-sum payment and are categorized as follows:

• Survivor Benefits
  : Paid to bereaved families (in the order of (a) Spouse, (b)Children, (c)Parents, (d) Grandchildren,(e) Siblings)
• Serious Injury or Sickness Benefits
  : Paid to victims who have suffered serious injury (injury that requires treatment of over one month and hospitalization of over three days) or serious illness (mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stressdisorder that requires treatment of over one month and inhibits a worker from performing a job for more than three days).
• Disability Benefits
  : Paid to victims who has suffered disability (Disability Grade 1 -14) as a result of the crime.

Foreign residents are not eligible to receive support from this system if they do not have Japanese citizenship and their address was not in Japan when the crime which caused their injury was committed.

Please note that this system may not be available or only partially available in cases where the crime was committed among relatives or the victim, even if they suffered injury or damages, bears some responsibility for the crime.

The application is to be made to the local prefectural Public Safety Commission of the applicant. The actual application procedures involve submitting the application form and necessary documents to the local police station or the police headquarters.

Applications cannot be made more than two years after the knowledge of the occurrence of death, serious injury, sickness or disability due to the crime, or seven years after the occurrence of these damages.

back／index／next