Child abuse cases handled by authorities in Japan rose to a record high last year, according to a government study published today.
According to the study by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, state-run counselling centres dealt with 17,725 cases of child abuse in fiscal 2000.
That figure was up 53 per cent from the previous fiscal year and more than 16 times the 1,101 cases reported in fiscal 1990.
Officials said busier parents and a loosening of ties in once tightly knit communities were behind the increase. They also said a new law aimed at fighting child abuse had probably unearthed cases that went unreported in the past.
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AP