Would the registry of sex offenders work in Japan

In America, sex offenders must report their addresses to the agency and the database is made available to public. So before renting a place or buying a property, many buyers go to the website to search the records of sex offenders in the area. It is important. National Policy Agency (NPA) reports that more than 25% of sex offenders repeat their offense after leaving prisons. Sex offenders receive tough sentences in America and for those who committed “minor” sex offense, they will be able to leave the prison at some point and it is mandatory for them to receive some type of treatment in prison and after leaving prison.

Japanese government has been reluctant to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, which is enforced to keep track of those who committed sex crimes for life. Yes it is for life so if you are once registered as a sex offender, public can track where you live and what you are up to and you are labeled as a sex offender for life. Because of this, Japanese government and policy makers are afraid that sex offenders will have even more difficult time recovering and adjust to their lives after serving sentences in prison. But because the statistics show a large number of repeat offenders, I think it is important to implement some type of law, which keep track of sex offenders in Japan. By making the sex offender registry available to public, parents and teachers will be aware of the potential risks. But why should the privacy of offenders be protected at the expense of children and communities? It is outrageous that they discuss the implications of releasing such information (sex offender registry) to public may cause hardship for those offenders? But victims’ names are all over the places.

In recent years, there has been more attention in Japan toward sex crimes. If they don’t want to release the information to public, that is ok but police should at least track sex offenders and other offenders after they leave prison. Address reporting should be mandated at least in police database.