Abstract
Safety of children from crime has become an urgent need in Japanese society. In particular, criminal acts against elementary school children have increased. Therefore, police and regional authorities are taking various measures and safety education is now starting to be promoted in schools and at home. However, data are lacking on the characteristics or tendencies of children, e.g., how they recognize an uncomfortable feeling or assess risks from strangers, how they react when they encounter an unexpected scene of pre-criminal or criminal acts, and when they believe urgent action is required. Given that we have little information on whether or not there are developmental or sex differences in recognition of crises, safety education research has begun to be disseminated. The present research focused on the behavioral characteristics of children in emergencies, including recognition of strangers and crisis escape strategies. The main emphasis was on what makes children uncomfortable and how they understand a crisis. New directions for safety education are suggested by the present data.
