Student volunteers supporting crime victims

About student volunteers supporting crime victims

The Akita Prefectural Police are promoting community-wide support for victims and efforts to create towns where neither victims nor perpetrators exist.
This project aims to foster a climate of compassion and support for crime victims throughout the community by recruiting volunteers from among students who will be responsible for society in the future, and by deepening their understanding of the realities faced by crime victims and the importance of supporting them through participation in training and public awareness activities related to crime victim support.

We are recruiting student volunteers for crime victim support in fiscal year 2026.

The Akita Prefectural Police are recruiting student volunteers for crime victim support in fiscal year 2026.
The application period is from Wednesday, April 1st to Friday, April 24th, 2026. For details, please see the application guidelines and flyer below.
Would you like to work with the Akita Prefectural Police to understand the feelings of crime victims, their families, and bereaved relatives, and to convey the importance of life?

2020 Crime Victim Support Student Volunteer Recruitment Guidelines [99KB]

Application form (PDF) [87KB] Application form (Word) [222KB]

Recruitment flyer (activity status, messages from alumni) [796KB]

〇 March 2, 2020 3rd training session

The third training session was attended by university student volunteers, representatives from the Akita Prefectural Government's Citizens' Life Division, and the Akita Victim Support Center. The session included a review of the university student volunteers' activities this year, a report on the status of the "Crime Victims' Life Panel Exhibition," and an exchange of opinions on volunteer activities and future plans.
We received comments and opinions from the university student volunteers, such as, "Listening to the bereaved family's lecture made me feel a sense of responsibility towards the crime. I think that disseminating information through panels and other means will act as a deterrent to crime," "I was moved to see so many ordinary people taking an interest in victim support and taking action, such as participating in the prefectural gathering and accepting the flyers," and "I would really like to see the crime victim life panel exhibition displayed at my university as well." We will use these comments and opinions to improve our future activities.
With the third training session, all student volunteer activities for the 2025 academic year have concluded. Thank you for your cooperation in volunteer activities over the past year.

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〇 December 24, 2025: Public awareness campaign calling for information on unsolved cases.

On December 24, 2002, we conducted public awareness activities as part of our support efforts for the victim's family regarding an unsolved murder and arson case that occurred in Taihei Hatta, Akita City.
Together with officers from the Akita Higashi Police Station, staff from the Crime Victim Support Office, and support staff from the Akita Victim Support Center, we set up the "Crime Victims' Lives Panel Exhibition" and then appealed to users of Poporodo by distributing flyers and pocket tissues requesting information.
Media outlets came to cover the event, and footage of the public relations activities was broadcast on the news.

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〇 November 15, 2025: Crime Victims' Week "Prefectural Citizens' Gathering"

November 25th to December 1st is designated as "Crime Victim Awareness Week," and public awareness campaigns for victim support are actively being conducted. On November 15th, the "Prefectural Citizens' Gathering" was held at the Akita Performing Arts Center Milhas, with university student volunteers involved in its operation.
The event included readings of letters written by children and students who participated in the "Learning about the Importance of Life" workshop to the instructors, a lecture by a family member of a crime victim, and a mini-concert by the Akita Prefectural Police Band.
The university student volunteers helped with preparations such as setting up the venue and arranging exhibits, as well as handling registration for the Hondering Project. During the reading of letters by children and students, they also provided narration introducing the instructors for the "Learning about the Importance of Life" workshop and guided the children and students.
In a lecture by Mr. Tamotsu Watanabe, a family member of a crime victim, we learned about the feelings of victims' families and the importance of supporting victims in the community, deepening our understanding of victim support.
Thanks to the cooperation of the university student volunteers, we were able to convey the thoughts of the instructors and students of the "Learning about the Importance of Life" workshop to the attendees. Thank you so much.

~What is the "Learning about the Importance of Life" class?~
This is a series of lectures held at elementary, junior high, and high schools, as well as special needs schools within the prefecture, featuring bereaved families who have lost children as victims of crime.

~What is the "Hondering Project"?~
This program involves collecting books, CDs, and other items that you no longer need after reading them, sending them to a recycling company, and donating the assessed value to a support organization. Every year, we donate to the Akita Victim Support Center (a public interest incorporated association).

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〇 November 5, 2020 2nd training session

We watched the film "The Wind from Zero" and exchanged opinions. Student volunteers shared comments such as, "I also drive a car, so I want to drive more carefully. When you study law at university, you sometimes feel that the laws are unreasonable. I want to continue to be interested in the situation of victims and their families," and "As a university student, as a parent, I watched the film from the perspective of various people. Only victims may truly understand the pain of the victims, but I think it's important to convey the experiences of those involved through films and panel displays like this. I want to keep what I felt today in mind as I continue to live my life."

~About the movie "The Wind from Zero"~
This film is based on a true story about a mother whose son was taken from her by a drunk, unlicensed, and uninsured driver. She rose up to advocate for stricter penalties in criminal law, leading to legal reforms and the creation of the "Message of Life" exhibition.
Yoshiko Tanaka played the mother and Taiyo Sugiura played the son in this film, which was released in 2007.

~What is the "Message of Life Exhibition"?~
This art exhibition features victims whose lives were unjustly taken due to crime, accidents, medical malpractice, forced drinking, and other similar incidents.
The life-sized panels (messengers) of the victims have their photos and messages from their families inscribed on their chests, and their shoes, a "testament to their lives," are placed at their feet to convey the importance of life.

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October 6, 2025: Observing a lay judge trial.

I attended the first hearing of a sexual assault case at the Akita District Court.
All of the participating university student volunteers were attending a trial for the first time, and they shared comments such as, "It was raw and intense. I got a real feel for the atmosphere of a trial," "I want to attend future trials as well," and "I'm curious about the verdict." It seemed that they had developed an interest in and a deeper understanding of the criminal proceedings faced by crime victims and others.

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〇 September 18, 2025: Lecture to connect with the hearts of crime victims and others.

I attended a lecture held at the police academy for police officers and university student volunteers who support crime victims. I listened to a lecture by a family member who lost their elementary school-aged child in a traffic accident. The speaker was the mother of Yuya Kumagai.
University student volunteers shared comments such as, "I'm attending driving school to get my license. I want to study hard and drive safely so I don't cause any accidents," and "I'm grateful for the valuable information you shared. I want to become a useful member of society so that we can have a peaceful world."
After the lecture, the university student volunteers participated in a discussion with the lecturer and staff from the crime victim support office, where they shared their impressions of the lecture and asked questions. They listened attentively to the lecturer's words, further deepening their understanding of the feelings of crime victims and crime victim support.

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〇 August 8, 2020 1st training session

Together with the Akita Prefectural Government's Citizens' Life Division and the Akita Victim Support Center, we have created a "goldfish charm."
The "Goldfish Charm" is handmade by a family who lost their college-aged son in a traffic accident, with the hope of creating a society free from accidents and where life is valued. They have been making these charms since 2016, in collaboration with college student volunteers who support victims of crime.
First, we listened to messages from the bereaved families about their feelings after the tragedy and how they came to start making the "goldfish charms." Then, we explained that we made each charm with the hope that those who hold it will reflect on the preciousness of life.
The "Goldfish Charm" is distributed at events related to victim support, such as the "Prefectural Citizens' Gathering." We hope you will receive it as a token of the feelings of the bereaved families and university student volunteers.

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〇 June 30, 2025: "Crime Victim Awareness Day" Awareness Campaign

　To raise awareness among the public about "Crime Victim Awareness Day," I participated in an awareness campaign held at Popolodo, the east-west connecting pedestrian walkway at Akita Station.
Together with staff from the Akita Prefectural Government's Citizens' Life Division and the Akita Victim Support Center, we distributed leaflets and other materials to raise awareness about "Crime Victim Awareness Day."

~What is "Crime Victim Awareness Day"?~
The Akita Prefecture Ordinance on Support for Crime Victims and Others designates June 30th each year as "Crime Victim Awareness Day," and public awareness campaigns are conducted throughout the prefecture.

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〇 Registration Certificate Presentation Ceremony, May 27, 2025

　We held a joint ceremony to present registration certificates to three university student volunteer groups within the Akita Prefectural Police.
During the presentation ceremony, each person's name was called, and the director handed the registration certificate to the representative.
This year, we have registered 13 university students from within the prefecture as volunteers to support crime victims, and they will conduct public awareness and educational activities regarding crime victim support until March 2026.