TOKYO -- Japan's crime rate jumped to a record high in the first half of 2002, dealing another blow to the nation's already fragile sense of safety.

The number of reported crimes rose 4.9 percent year-on-year to more than 1.35 million cases -- the highest figure for any January-to-June period since world war two, the National Police Agency said on Friday.

But while Japanese are becoming increasingly nervous about crime and sales of home security devices are booming, Japan is still safer than most other countries, Reuters reported.

The number of murders in Japan rose slightly to 656 for the six-month period, still fewer than the 952 committed in New York State alone in 2000.

Serious crimes such as murder and robbery were up 3.5 percent to 9,715 incidents, but the arrest rate for such crimes fell slightly to 52.5 percent.

Overall arrest rates, which had been falling sharply for the past few years, edged up slightly to 20.1 percent.

The police data showed purse-snatching cases rose 11 percent and burglaries by 13 percent.

The number of minors arrested rose by nearly seven percent, with youth accounting for some 70 percent of purse-snatching and muggings.

"Juvenile delinquents are making the streets dangerous," Kyodo news agency reported a police agency spokesman as saying.