Homicide by men in Japan, and its relationship to age, resources and risk taking

Abstract 

Homicide is predominantly committed by and against men, especially young men, all over the world. This has been documented in many societies across various times and cultures and has been considered to be one of the universal patterns of homicide. However, the homicide rate in Japan has decreased drastically since the end of the Second World War, owing to a huge decrease in the homicide rate by men in their 20s, and as a result, the usual peak in the age-related homicide curve completely disappeared in recent Japan. When homicide rates are calculated for each cohort of men, however, age effects remain clear, regardless of the actual homicide rates. I investigated the relevance of sociocultural factors hypothesized to affect the risk proneness of men in relation to age.

Keywords: Homicide, Male–male competition, Life-history strategy, Risk assessment