Is there anything to be gained by the media reporting the names of minors involved in crimes?

Friday 23rd May, 07:49 AM JST

14 Comments

smartacus at 08:39 AM JST - 23rd May

Where violent crimes are involved, yes. A young punk is just as deadly as an old one. Try telling the relatives of murder victims that the killer is a minor. I'd even name those teens who killed the 8 swans last week. In Japan, 20 is the age limit for minors, which is way too old, in my opinion.
Altria at 09:18 AM JST - 23rd May

The same as what's gained from reporting the names of adults involved in crimes.
Betting at 10:45 AM JST - 23rd May

I think it would be fantastic, especially in a country like Japan where it is a culture of shame (and I don't mean that in a negative way). In the old days, in the typical Japanese neighbourhood people took more of an interest in their surroundings, now with nuclear families they don't feel the need to look around them. This appears to be one of the reasons why crime is on the rise.

To bring these criminals out into the open, where they would be publicly shamed would have quite a dramatic effect I believe (as the effects would even carry over to their parents). It would show potential criminals what is going to happen to them if they get involved in something illegal. I think if their names are reported in the media, youth crime would plummet so quick.
TPOJ at 11:00 AM JST - 23rd May

Not nearly as much as actually dealing with crime fairly and competently.
williamsmith at 11:02 AM JST - 23rd May

It won't make any difference. Crime will continue to rise because of the violence in the media. Publishing a name may even give some a sense of fame, not shame. Shame goes to all of us. Shame on you.
Fair dinkum! at 11:34 AM JST - 23rd May

I think publishing names of minors would have a negative effect. There was a recent case in Australia of a 17y/o who had a huge party and trashed his parents house while they were away. This little monster is now a famous urban hero and was offered a 200,000 deal with one of the radio stations. The other reason is, it would place the parents of the offenders into the spotlight. I know many people say the parents are to blame for problem minors and to a point this is probably true, but this same logic tells you that, if minors are involved in offenses their parents should be punished too. Unfortunately, most of the blame for problematic teens lies on society and the circles the individuals travel in. Minors should remain minors and their names and the details of their offenses should be sanctioned from the media to avoid spotlighting their offenses and creating a teenage martyr, especially in Japanese society due to the prevalent 'monkey see, monkey do' mentality of the younger generation.
xxzjxx at 11:45 AM JST - 23rd May

Who cares?
papasmurfinjapan at 12:16 PM JST - 23rd May

It depends on the crime and the age of the minor. I think anyone over 17 who is guilty of murder or sexual assault definitely deserves to have his/her name made public.

Under 17 and I'm not so sure, as making their names public may have an adverse effect on their ability to "reform".

Regardless of whether their names are reported or not, they will be out of jail in the same amount of time, so the last thing you want to do is destroy their only hope of a new life that anonymity affords.
Molenir at 04:21 PM JST - 23rd May

I think the only criteria should be the crime. Rapists and Killers should always have their names and faces published for everyone to know. Whether they're 10 or 100. People ought to be able to know who they're living next to.
Naruki_Oni at 04:30 PM JST - 23rd May

I saw some excellent comments already. I would just like to add one thing:

IF any names are released, it should not be done before they are tried and found guilty.

Perhaps that is my cultural bias showing. I come from the land of "presumed innocent until proven guilty". Although, honestly, my country has been pretty bad about adhering to that ideal.
RomeoRamenII at 01:02 AM JST - 25th May

Stupid question as it is Japanese law that minors' names won't be released by the media.

RR
netrek at 07:41 AM JST - 26th May

This is insane! A 20 year old is in no way a minor! What the heck!?
Blue_Tiger at 05:23 AM JST - 27th May

If it means a crack-down on the kinds of crimes being committed by minors, yes, by all means....
ekimsmada at 06:47 PM JST - 9th June

i think crimes comitted by minors would drop ,but don't single out the teens, report the names of the sick teachers , police, government officials and other so-called responsible, respectable authority figures in bold caps for betraying the trust of the people. they know they know better. wtf? i apologize strayed, i'm new. hello everyone.