Japan eyes GPS devices to monitor stalkers
Japan on Tuesday compiled emergency countermeasures to protect victims of stalking, including proposals to require perpetrators under restraining orders to wear GPS tracking devices, Qazinform News Agency learned from Kyodo.
Victims would be alerted if offenders approach nearby.
The plans, submitted to a ministerial meeting on crime prevention, draw on international cases where such devices are used to monitor sex offenders. Authorities will also study miniaturization technologies and consider revising the current anti‑stalking law.
Further discussions will determine whether GPS monitoring should be limited to high‑risk cases. The revisions may also mandate counseling for offenders.
Stalking has drawn growing attention in Japan, with 3,037 restraining orders issued in 2025 - the highest since the law took effect in 2000. The proposals follow the fatal stabbing of a woman by her former partner in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district in March. The suspect had been arrested for stalking last year, and a restraining order was issued in January.
Earlier, it was reported that Kyrgyzstan is considering introducing life sentence for femicide.