Japan to set up expert panel on GPS tracking stalkers

TOKYO – Japanese police said on Oct 15 they will set up a panel of experts to discuss measures to protect stalking victims by having offenders wear Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices.The panel is also expected to discuss mandatory counselling and appropriate treatment for stalkers, as well as ways to dispel concern over the potential violation of offenders’ human rights, aiming to compile a report towards an early revision of the anti-stalking law.Stalking has increasingly come under the spotlight in Japan lately, including a case in which a woman was stabbed to death by her former boyfriend at a shop where she worked in a commercial complex in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district in March.The stabbing occurred even though the man had received a restraining order under the anti-stalking law.By using GPS tracking devices, police aim to prevent stalking crimes by alerting victims that stalkers are approaching, according to the National Police Agency.The first meeting of the panel, consisting of experts in fields such as mental health and the law, is slated for Oct 19.The family of a stalking victim who was killed by her former boyfriend in Zushi, Kanagawa prefecture, will also join.The government announced emergency countermeasures, including considering GPS tracking of stalkers, in July following the incident in Ikebukuro.There were 22,881 cases in which people sought counsel regarding stalking in 2025, exceeding the 20,000 mark for the first time in five years.The number of restraining orders totalled 3,037, the highest since 2000, when the current anti-stalking law took effect, according to the agency.Among those who had been issued a restraining order, a mere 147 received treatment or counselling in 2025.In the Ikebukuro case, the stabber had been advised by police to seek treatment, but had not done so. KYODO NEWS