INSIDE JAPAN from our view

300 attend funeral for murdered Hiroshima girl     Japan Times— A funeral was held Friday for a 7-year-old girl murdered in the city of Hiroshima earlier this week while on her way home from elementary school, with grieving family members and others expressing shock and anger at her death. About 300 people, including teachers at the school, attended the funeral for Airi Kinoshita, a first-grade student at a municipal elementary school in Hiroshima. The mourners included Ground Self-Defense Force personnel who serve with Airi's father Kenichi, 38.

Hiroshima has been the place where people wish peace since a nuclear bomb was fallen. But this week, Hiroshima has reminded us the shocking murder. There is no eye witness and there is little evidence left. That is why most Japanese are so shocked and afraid of the possibility that another crime might happen. The 7-year-old girl was discovered after her dead body had been packed in a tiny box. This news still puzzles many Japanese.

Almost every year a miserable murder occurs in this country. And every time, a little girl becomes a victim. So far, we do not have an effective method to prevent this kind of murders. There are some programs for sexual criminals but they seem not to have little success. What is more, there are so many young men who are forgotten from society and might become criminals without treatments. Remember that Japan is famous for the high rate of suicide. There are so many people who need help. Sadly, however, Koizumi regime has a strong policy. That is “weak people should lose”. It is inevitable that the crime rate will go up for a couple of decades.