Chapter 2    Youth Health and Safety

Section 1    Health Status of Youths

(Physique of Youths)

Table 1 shows the national average height, weight and seated height by age, of pupils and students in elementary schools, junior highs, senior highs, and secondary schools in fiscal 2004. As a whole, the values appear to remaining about the same for average height, weight and seated height for both boys and girls.

(Physical Fitness of Youths)

Looking at basic fitness levels tested through running (50 m dash and distance run), jumping (standing long jump) and throwing (softball or handball) as well as grip strength, there were no remarkable differences in some capacities by age in certain stages of development. But in most stages, there were declining trends in all capacities. (Table 2)

(Nutrition)

The nutritional intake of young people is generally well-balanced, but at an individual level there are emerging problems such as excessive or imbalanced intake. Another new dietary problem among youths is the habitual omission of meals. (Table 3)

(Diseases)

Looking at the diseases and defects among children that have led to consultations with doctors by academic level in fiscal 2004, the highest consultation rate was recorded for "cavities." Those with cavities (including those who completed treatment) exceeded 70% at elementary and senior high schools, but the percentage has been declining every year. The second highest was "unaided vision under 20/20," and nearsightedness among students increased with age. Those aged between 15 and 24 years tend to have a relatively higher chance to contract sexually transmitted disease/infection when compared to other age groups. As for HIV infections, it was found nearly 35% of all newly-reported HIV patients are in the younger age groups under the age of 20.

Section 2    Youth Safety

(Overview of Accidental Death)

The number of youth deaths (aged 0 to 24) from accidents in 2003 was 2,477, 22.0% of all deaths in the same age group. The percentage of accidental deaths was high in all age groups, particularly in the 15 to 19 age group, in which about 40% of the total deaths was found to be accidental.

(Traffic Accidents)

The number of traffic accidents in 2004 was 952,191, up 4,198 (0.4%) from the previous year. The number of deaths from traffic accidents was 7,358, and that from injuries was 1,183,120, down 344 (4.5%) and up 1,689 (0.1%) from the previous year, respectively.
Among young people aged 0 to 24, the number of deaths was 1,152, 15.7% of all deaths and down 8.9% from the previous year. The number of youth injuries was 321,426, 27.2% of all injuries and down 2.7% from the previous year.

(Casualties in School Jurisdictions)

Data of casualty mutual benefits for fiscal 2004 (payment of medical bills, disability benefits, death benefits), paid by National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, showed that the following casualties (injuries, sickness, disabilities or death) occurred among pupils and students in school jurisdictions (in regular classes and special activities, in extra lessons, during break time, and going to/leaving school). Out of 18,239,498 insured people: 2,052,006 injuries and sickness, 528 disabilities, and 92 deaths, totaling 2,052,626 cases.

Section 3    Victimization by Crime and Abuse

(Victimization by Crime)

The number of reported cases of penal code offenses in which juveniles were victimized in 2004 was 356,426, down 29,336 (7.6%) from the previous year. By type of offense, victims of felony offenses numbered 1,935, and those of violent offenses numbered 20,488. When compared with the previous year, the number of felony offenses and violent offenses decreased by 269 (or 12.2%) and 2,345 (or 10.3%) respectively. (Table 4, Figure 4)
Although the number of juveniles who were victims of sexual offenses (rape and indecent assault) was 6,491, has decreased by 885 or 12% from the previous year, it must be admitted that the victimization of youths by this kind of crime is still in a serious condition.
In 2004, 7,456 juveniles, increased by 152 (21%) over the previous year, were victimized in welfare-related offenses, such as violation of the Law For Punishing Acts Related to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and for Protecting Children (Law No.52 of 1999, hereinafter called the "Anti-Child Prostitution and Pornography Law"), the Child Welfare Law and the Juvenile Protection Ordinance. By academic level, most of the victims were high school students, with the number reaching 2,752 (36.9%), followed by junior high school students.
The number of juveniles victimized by offenses related to "online dating sites" in 2004 was 1,120, decreased by 206 (15.5%) from the previous year. By type of offense, most of them were victimized by violations of the Anti-Child Prostitution and Pornography Law at 624 (55.8%), followed by violations of the Juvenile Protection Ordinance. The number of juveniles victimized by felony offenses such as homicide and rape was 53, having increased nearly 7.5 times from 2002 when the statistics were first taken.

Figure 4    Trends in the Number of Juvenile Victims in Cases Reported for Penal Code Offenses (1995-2004)

(Child Abuse)

In recent times, child abuse in which parents and guardians use violence on their children is a serious social concern. The number of cases of consultation for child abuse provided by Child Guidance Centers has been increasing rapidly every year, reaching 26,569 in fiscal 2003. (Table 5)
More specifically, physical violence had the largest share at about 50%, followed by neglect (neglect or refusal of protection) (about 40%), psychological abuse and sexual abuse.
The number of child abuse cases investigated by the police in 2004 was 229, and 253 persons were arrested. The number of victimized children was 239, of which 51 (21.3%) were dead at the time of the arrests.