There are a lot of terrible teenage crimes recently in Japan. For example, 17-year-old boy took away the highway bus and he killed one man at Okayama last May. Why did the crime that was held by teenager increase? And how the media cope with these problems? Does the media have influence on children. These are the main theme. Many people said that the thing caused in Japan followed after America five years later. So that how did the U.S. feel these things? We would like to research these topics.

Before I went to America, I researched the relation between teenage crime and the media. For example, does the number of teenage violence increase because of media's influence? And I also thought that how the media cope with these problems. I didn't directly meet the man who is connected with mass communication, but I would like to write how I felt and thought through reading a newspaper and magazine or listening to the radio, watching the TV programs.

During stayed in America, we didn't separate the part. But I would like to write my topic through interview.

The numbers of teenage crime have increased these five years in Japan. There are several kinds of crime but I think that they are separated to two big groups. First one has caused by many people and I want to call it "group crime." The other is cause by single person and I want to call it "personal crime." I feel that the former is more than the latter.

I want to think about how does the media deal with these crimes. Before I talk this topic, I have to explain the TV program. There are two kinds of broadcasting program.

(1) News: As you know that they deal with many topics, for example, domestic and international situation, sports, weather information etc.
(2) Wide show: They deal with murder and the relationship of talent etc. But they refer in detail.

I did not know the clear deference between those two. As you know that teenage crime has broadcasted by both two programs. But if the crime is not serious, the news will deal with it simply. And a lot of cases, the wide show deals the teenage crime in detail for example, circumstances of teenager who caused a crime, the background of the crime, etc. In the case of taking away the highway bus away, a lot of programs deal with and spared about 15-20 hours a week. I think that if the media deal with one topic for a long time, you will see or hear about once or twice. Why the TV program spared a lot of time? Maybe we as a listener are very interested in those serious topics and wish that those problems solved. But very interested is a problem, I think. If you are bored at something, you will make a complaint. So that if you bored at TV program, you will not watch the program. But in the cases of these serious problems, a lot of people want to know a criminal or what the motive is.

I want to touch this topic. The criminal who was a teenager and caused a crime recently said like this.

" I imitated what he or she (criminal in past) did."
" I thought that I could do it because he did it."
" I want to become famous."
" I tried to do it after I watched the TV program that it had broadcasted a violence or a criminal."

I think that they had a lot of reasons to cause it. One is a psychological problem. Maybe it is made by the situation or circumstance that they spend a younger age. Or in the case that they are very clear or intelligent, they think that even if they commit a crime, they cannot be punished severely because they are very young (it is decided by the juvenile low). Anyway, expect for third word, it is cause by the influence of the media. So that as far as they said like that, I want to think that the media cause or stimulate teenagers' mind and commit a terrible crime. Someone said that some affair or incident was like a thing that caused at past, for example, how to do or planning, etc. Maybe the recent criminal imitated it.

How about America? Some Americans said that a lot of kids watch the comic that is related a gun and they want to be a hero or heroine. If they think that they strongly want to be a hero or their minds are not normal, they will use a gun and kill a lot of people. Sometimes these criminals happened at school or community place and many people died or injured terribly. In the case of America, there is a possibility that some gun related comic or cartoon will influence teenager to commit a murder.

In these discussions, I answered yes to the question the content is "does the media influence to increase the number of teenage crime?" So I want to think about improve the way to broadcast the teenage crime. Maybe it is very difficult question but I try to think.

I wrote before that the thing caused in Japan followed after America five years later. So I want to write about America. I interviewed some parents during stayed in the U.S. They said like this. If they think that their children influenced by the media, they can limit or forbid them to watch the program. In America, they use the tips to limit some TV programs, for example, the comic or cartoon, drama that is related at violence or gun. I understood that the parents took teenage violence seriously so that they could deal with, for example, they disciplined their children severely, etc. I think that many parents think the media influence and cause the teenage violence.

So I want to say that if we can apply that in Japan, it will be a better way to change the situation or surrounding of teenager. If we can change their situation, the numbers of teenage crime will decrease.

I researched about the relation between teenage crime or violence and the media. I want to say here is that the media has affected teenagers to behave a bad thing, for example, be violence, use guns or kill people in both Japan and America. If we solve this problem, I think that they have to change the situation of teenager or the way of broadcasting the teenage violence. In case of America, many parents limit or prohibit their kids to watch some kinds of TV program. They worry about their kids to be violent. So in Japan, first step is to change the media's system. Next, many Japanese parents have to take the violence or murder which is held by teenager seriously and change the way of discipline their children. If these wishes come true, I think that the numbers of teenage crime will decrease.