Japan local gov'ts struggling to verify child abuse info in 48 hrs

A large majority of Japanese municipalities are struggling to confirm children's safety within 48 hours due to a recent surge in the number of abuse reports, a Kyodo News survey showed Tuesday.It found that more than 80 percent of 69 major municipalities across the country with child welfare centers have not always followed the guideline set by the government one year ago, requiring them to verify child abuse reports within the time frame.The government has been stepping up efforts to increase interventions by the welfare centers, but the outcome of the survey, conducted in June, suggests t…READ FULL ARTICLE