Following a horrific knife attack in public, the government plans to require stalkers to wear Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices to alert potential victims when the perpetrators are approaching.
Under possible revisions of the Anti-Stalking Law, the government also intends to introduce a system requiring stalking offenders to undergo medical treatment or counselling.
At a ministerial meeting on crime prevention on July 28, the government approved these emergency measures that are designed to prevent an escalation of harm caused by stalkers.
The package explicitly includes GPS monitoring and mandatory treatment or counseling for offenders.
The GPS monitoring idea could face opposition from people citing the need to safeguard human rights, even those of criminals.
But authorities say police lack the necessary tools to adequately protect victims from determined stalkers.
In March this year, a female part-time employee was stabbed to death at the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo store in the Sunshine City commercial complex in the Ikebukuro district.
The killer, a man who had previously been in a relationship with the victim, had earlier been arrested on suspicion of violating the Anti-Stalking Law and other offenses.
He had also received a restraining order prohibiting him from approaching the victim.
After being summarily indicted, however, he was released.
Anticipating his release, the Metropolitan Police Department had arranged for the woman to take shelter at a relative’s home and maintained contact with her.
Authorities also encouraged the man to receive medical treatment and counseling, but he refused.
He killed the victim at her workplace before taking his own life there.
“The current system has its limits and cannot guarantee victims’ peace of mind,” a government official explained.
STRONGER PROTECTION OF VICTIMS
Similar crimes by known stalkers have also been carried out, despite police efforts to protect the victims.
“There are cases in which perpetrators go so far as to commit brazen crimes despite arrests, restraining orders and other law-enforcement measures,” a report on the measures said.
“In order to prevent such serious incidents, stronger protection for victims is needed by enabling them to identify when high-risk offenders are approaching and avoid contact,” it said.
Under the envisioned system, stalking targets would also carry a device that notifies them, such as through a message alert, when a perpetrator comes within a specified distance. The alerts should give them enough time to take evasive action.
Numerous issues remain to be examined before such a system can be introduced.
These include determining at which stage a person would become subject to GPS monitoring, such as after receiving a police warning, restraining order or arrest.
The measures also do not say how long the device should be worn by the stalker, or whether the individual’s location should be accessible not only to the victim but also to the police and other authorities.
There is also the question of whether courts should play a role in the process.
GPS monitoring of stalking offenders has already been implemented overseas.
In South Korea, for example, ankle-bracelet tracking devices are used. The system originally applied to sex offenders and was expanded in 2023 to include stalkers.
Japan’s National Police Agency will continue examining anti-stalking systems used in other countries and identifying technical and operational issues.
Police already encourage stalking offenders to seek counseling when issuing restraining orders. However, few offenders comply.
According to NPA data, only 184 of 3,271 stalking offenders, or 5.6 percent, did so in 2024.
“We will consider a system that encourages changes in offenders’ awareness and behavior,” a government official said.
FLIGHT RISKS
The emergency measures will also take into account another GPS monitoring system scheduled to be implemented by around 2028.
Under the system, defendants considered at risk of fleeing abroad while released on bail could be required to wear GPS tracking devices.
The measure was introduced after Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman, was smuggled out of Japan ahead of his trial on corruption charges.
Under the system, courts would order the attachment of GPS devices, designate locations such as airports as prohibited zones, and receive notifications if a defendant is detected in those areas.
-The Asahi Shimbun
Under possible revisions of the Anti-Stalking Law, the government also intends to introduce a system requiring stalking offenders to undergo medical treatment or counselling.
At a ministerial meeting on crime prevention on July 28, the government approved these emergency measures that are designed to prevent an escalation of harm caused by stalkers.
The package explicitly includes GPS monitoring and mandatory treatment or counseling for offenders.
The GPS monitoring idea could face opposition from people citing the need to safeguard human rights, even those of criminals.
But authorities say police lack the necessary tools to adequately protect victims from determined stalkers.
In March this year, a female part-time employee was stabbed to death at the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo store in the Sunshine City commercial complex in the Ikebukuro district.
The killer, a man who had previously been in a relationship with the victim, had earlier been arrested on suspicion of violating the Anti-Stalking Law and other offenses.
He had also received a restraining order prohibiting him from approaching the victim.
After being summarily indicted, however, he was released.
Anticipating his release, the Metropolitan Police Department had arranged for the woman to take shelter at a relative’s home and maintained contact with her.
Authorities also encouraged the man to receive medical treatment and counseling, but he refused.
He killed the victim at her workplace before taking his own life there.
“The current system has its limits and cannot guarantee victims’ peace of mind,” a government official explained.
STRONGER PROTECTION OF VICTIMS
Similar crimes by known stalkers have also been carried out, despite police efforts to protect the victims.
“There are cases in which perpetrators go so far as to commit brazen crimes despite arrests, restraining orders and other law-enforcement measures,” a report on the measures said.
“In order to prevent such serious incidents, stronger protection for victims is needed by enabling them to identify when high-risk offenders are approaching and avoid contact,” it said.
Under the envisioned system, stalking targets would also carry a device that notifies them, such as through a message alert, when a perpetrator comes within a specified distance. The alerts should give them enough time to take evasive action.
Numerous issues remain to be examined before such a system can be introduced.
These include determining at which stage a person would become subject to GPS monitoring, such as after receiving a police warning, restraining order or arrest.
The measures also do not say how long the device should be worn by the stalker, or whether the individual’s location should be accessible not only to the victim but also to the police and other authorities.
There is also the question of whether courts should play a role in the process.
GPS monitoring of stalking offenders has already been implemented overseas.
In South Korea, for example, ankle-bracelet tracking devices are used. The system originally applied to sex offenders and was expanded in 2023 to include stalkers.
Japan’s National Police Agency will continue examining anti-stalking systems used in other countries and identifying technical and operational issues.
Police already encourage stalking offenders to seek counseling when issuing restraining orders. However, few offenders comply.
According to NPA data, only 184 of 3,271 stalking offenders, or 5.6 percent, did so in 2024.
“We will consider a system that encourages changes in offenders’ awareness and behavior,” a government official said.
FLIGHT RISKS
The emergency measures will also take into account another GPS monitoring system scheduled to be implemented by around 2028.
Under the system, defendants considered at risk of fleeing abroad while released on bail could be required to wear GPS tracking devices.
The measure was introduced after Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman, was smuggled out of Japan ahead of his trial on corruption charges.
Under the system, courts would order the attachment of GPS devices, designate locations such as airports as prohibited zones, and receive notifications if a defendant is detected in those areas.
-The Asahi Shimbun
