I find the situation that unbelievable and miserable affairs often occur; the age of criminals is tending to become younger and younger in Japan. Irresponsibility of parents, an unreal environment, and legal protection have caused an increase in current juvenile crime.

First, the parents don’t care for their children; as a result, the children cannot recognize right from wrong. The parents don’t say anything about their children’s behavior even if someone else gives a warning to their children instead of the parents. Furthermore, the parents don’t try to know what their children are doing. One mother, for example, living with her son, didn’t know that her son had imprisoned a girl in his room for eight years until he was arrested. Many parents prefer enjoying their lives rather than taking care of their children. This can lead to poorly-behaved children. Growing up with such parents, none of them knows good from evil.

Second, due to the world being full of virtual things, most children are getting into an illusion. Being in the developed country in technology, they enjoy artificial materials, and they readily see strangers whom they just know by e-mail. They don’t try to make real best friends since it is a bother. They enjoy playing games in which some characters easily die and revive; consequently, they have no scruples although they may feel sad for the character’s death.

Third, juvenile law has contributed to an increase of juvenile criminals. In Japan, criminals less than twenty years old are kept from disgrace of their name and face; therefore, some children commit crimes before becoming twenty. On the other hand, the victims are published about all private information irrespective of their age. Moreover, juvenile law protects less than fourteen-year-old children from any punishment even if they were cruel murderers. This is to protect their futures. They are just sent to the home for rehabilitation being protected by the law. This protected age was recently changed from sixteen to fourteen caused by an increase of more young children’s crime. Children less than sixteen have killed innocent people for no reason. Nevertheless, there is still some possibility of occurring more young children’s crime, and it’s not any solution. In my opinion, any-aged criminals should be inflicted by appropriate punishment even though personal rights are important. The judgment should be come from not how old they are but what they did.

As a result of parents’ irresponsibility, unreal surroundings, and too much protection, the juvenile crime might increase and criminals may become younger. Someone has noticed and warned about it; however, there is still a danger that it will be a problem.