A month-long police campaign in Japan to track down hundreds of suspects sought over the nation’s most notorious crimes, some dating back decades, underscores what analysts describe as the surprising ease with which individuals can vanish, even in the country’s highly bureaucratic society.
The nationwide drive, officially designated the “Month for Strengthening Investigations into Wanted Suspects”, began on November 1. Through official websites and social media appeals, authorities are urging the public to report any information on the whereabouts of roughly 660 fugitives currently on the national wanted list.
“There is a long list of arsonists, murderers and radical activists who are still wanted, with some of the cases going back to the 1970s,” said Shinichi Ishizuka, a former criminal lawyer and founder of the Tokyo-based think tank Criminal Justice Future.