TOKYO – The number of cases in 2025 in which children under 18 were victims of sexual misconduct rose for the third consecutive year to 4,858 in Japan, the highest level in the past decade, police said Feb 26, amid a rise in online juvenile crime.

The National Police Agency reported that cases involving sexually manipulated images of children created using artificial intelligence rose by four to 114, with middle and high school students accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the victims.

Students at the same schools as the victims made up the largest share of perpetrators, at 65.

Many other victims are believed to have not yet consulted the police, according to the agency.

The number of children who became victims of nonconsensual sexual activity after meeting perpetrators through social media stood at 1,566, including 167 elementary school students, the highest number in the past decade.

More than 70 per cent of the victims of elementary school age were 11 year olds and 12 year olds, at 71 and 57, respectively. The majority of the victims were girls, at 160.

The most commonly used social media platform in such cases was Instagram, followed by X, according to the report. Online games were also frequently cited as places where victims and perpetrators met, and the most common method of communication was the Line messaging app.

Juvenile access to online platforms has also led to other criminal problems, such as online gambling, with 21 of 27 cases involving middle and high school students, the agency reported. KYODO NEWS