Traditionally, violent acts against children in Japan were considered private, isolated incidents largely outside the reach of government policy and legal action. Increasingly, however, public perception in Japan, mainly driven by the mass media, has shifted away from such complacency. A few well-publicized attacks on children have forced Mombusho (the Ministry of Education) to address the issue openly. This represents the beginning of a significant change in Japan, which long has considered itself to be an oasis of safety far removed from the dangers of the larger world. In this article, the authors document the incidents behind this shift in perception and examine how national policy has evolved in response to the growing sense of unease. The authors suggest that although the Ministry of Education, by its authority, is empowered to address such issues, it has not clarified its directives or provided sufficient funding for safety programs. As a result, communities and parents, mostly organized under the auspices of the local PTA, have been left with the bulk of the responsibility for securing the safety of their neighborhoods. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)