Cases of children in Japan becoming victims of crimes through online video games have increased on a yearly basis, Japanese news outlet FNN News reported on February 20. As revealed by the Japan National Police Agency, 89 children under the age of 17 were involved in crimes through online games during 2023, with some cases involving kidnapping and sexual assault.
Of the 89 cases, 37 involved perpetrators contacting children through NetEase Games’ battle royale title Knives Out. Epic Games’ Fortnite and NetEase Games’ multiplayer survival horror game Identity V were also mentioned in the report, coming up in 13 cases.
Crimes that begin through online games aren’t unheard of in Japan. In 2023, two instances of adults contacting minors through Fortnite and Splatoon took place, with the former ending in a sexual exploitation case and the latter in stalking. Though many minors dream of making it big through these games, they should exercise caution when it comes to developing relationships with online strangers.
While the data is from 2023, there appear to have been no prior reports on the yearly statistic. The alarming increase in such cases has prompted the National Police to release the data and urge guardians to establish rules for children when it comes to online gaming.
