One of the things I appreciated when I travelled to Japan was that it is largely a country of law and order but like any country, there are still pockets of crime that need to be addressed. I like this news story from Casey Baseel, writing for SoraNews24 about how the police in Japan are going after scammers that prey on the elderly:
On May 1, the Minami Precinct of the Aichi Prefectural Police, which serves and protects the city of Nagoya’s Minami Ward, launched a new aspect of Operation Pretend to Be Fooled. This new crime-fighting program asks people who’ve been contacted by someone claiming to be a loved one in need of cash to notify the police, then work with them to draw the scammer out. For each case in which their cooperation leads to the identification of scammers, the original target of the scam will be paid 10,000 yen (US$97).
It would make a great documentary following these take-downs.
(via Daring Fireball)