Yomiuri: Crime rife at Net cafes that don't require ID
Tokyo police are considering making it mandatory for Net cafe operators to ask customers to show identification after a survey found nearly 75 percent of crimes committed at cybercafes occurred at shops that did not check the ID of customers. Fewer than 40 percent of Net cafes in the capital ask their customers to show ID, according to a Metropolitan Police Department survey of 561 Net cafes known to be operating in Tokyo as of the end of August. The MPD launched an expert advisory panel Saturday to consider measures to stem the crimes--including theft, hacking and rape--occurring in Net cafes. One step the panel will discuss is making it obligatory for Net cafes to confirm the identification of their customers, according to the MPD. Just 214 of the Net cafes surveyed, or 38.1 percent, asked customers to show ID when entering their premises. There were 679 crimes reported in Tokyo's Net cafes from January to the end of August. Of them, 505, or 74 percent, took place at Net cafes that did not check customer ID. Thefts of bags and other possessions topped the list with 579 incidents, followed by 67 cases of fraud and seven robberies with violence...more....