THE STATE OF MURDER IN JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES A STORY OF SOCIOECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND POLICE GEOGRAPHY

Japan has uncovered a competitive advantage in murder prevention strategies, as murder rates in the nation are some of the lowest in the world. In Japan, murder rates have been falling consistently since the post-World War II era to reach rates of 0.2 murders per 100,000 people, whereas in the United States these rates have been historically volatile, stabilizing in recent decades slightly above 5 murders per 100,000 people. This study poses the following questions: What structural, sociolegal, and policy elements have made Japan reach such positive results in murder prevention? And what lessons can be learned from this success that may help reduce murder rates in the United States? Analyzing the state of murder in Japan and the United States, this Paper provides a comparative examination of some of the structural factors affecting the geographical and perpetrator elements of murder. Through the lens of (i) socioeconomic indicators like inequality, poverty, and unemployment, as well as (ii) the geographical allocation of police resources (comparing the United States police infrastructural arrangement with the Japanese koban system), this Paper attempts to shine light on the structural patterns that have made Japanese society such a profoundly safe environment from homicide. Avoiding purely holistic or monolithic culturalist arguments, the Paper looks at the historical trajectory of murder at a national level, then provides a contemporary state of murder analysis of Boston as compared to Osaka, and New York in contrast to Tokyo. Dispelling the notion that a larger police force with larger capital investment equates safety from murder, the study finds that (i) areal socioeconomic integration, and (ii) equal geographic distribution of police resources as community-focused and integrated safety providers, are two of the foundational distinct elements that lead to murder prevention in Japan-and that a tailored adaptation of this system to the United States' needs, capabilities, and characteristics could signify increased efficiency in murder prevention, and a consequent reduction in murder rates.