Family Violence and Community Intervention in Japan

Family violence have elicited enormous interest among citizens and scholars in Japanes society.For instance,the number of child maltretment cases reported to Child Guidance Institution which is a branch for child welfare in local goverments has been continuously increasing for last 26 years up to 120,000. Also,the numbers of adolescent -to -parent abuse,intimate partner violence ,elder abuse have been increasing continuously.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the Japanese family violence,especially child maltreatment and adolescent-to-parent abuse, acoording to nested ecological theory.Among the explanatory theories of family violence ,nested ecological theory is found to be the most effective one which is outlined the reciprocal interaction of four primary lebels of influence:macrosystem,exosystem,microsystem and ontogeny.

Concerning macrosystem factors,I try to analyze the results of questionnaire methode researches on child maltretment prevention policies of all local goverments. Then,I have the insights as follows;1,The necessity of national data base on child maltretment in Japan,2,the necessity of strenghtening reintegration policies of the families in which child malteratment occur and civil cooperation,3, the necessity of poverty related policies ,4,the necessity of policies concerning the child maltreatment occured in foreighners families in Japan,5,the nesecciity of assesment of effectivity of child maltretment prevention and tretment policies,6,the effectivity of supportive policies of early pregnancy as child maltretment prevention,7,the effectivity of civil cooperation to response child maltretment reports.

In regard to adolescent-to-parent abuse, I,also,try to analyze the results of questionnaire method researches inquired to the juvenile department of the prefectural police headquarters and voluntary support organizations according to nested ecological theory.