TOKYO, Jun 05 (News On Japan) –
The variety of individuals arrested for violating Japan’s anti-stalking regulation reached a file excessive of 1,341 in 2024, whereas consultations relating to the misuse of monitoring units similar to Apple’s AirTag additionally hit an all-time excessive, prompting the National Police Agency (NPA) to think about new rules.
According to the NPA, police throughout Japan obtained 19,567 experiences of stalking in 2024. While that determine was 276 fewer than the earlier yr, the whole has remained at a constantly excessive degree of round 20,000 yearly lately.
Arrests for actions violating the Stalker Regulation Act—similar to following somebody or repeatedly calling them—reached a file 1,341 circumstances. Including different associated legal prices, similar to illegal entry, the whole variety of stalking-related arrests stood at 1,743. Police additionally issued a file 2,415 restraining orders below the Stalker Regulation Act to cease persistent conduct.
The rise in enforcement follows a 2016 modification to the regulation permitting police to concern restraining orders with out prior warnings, strengthening the authorities’ capability to intervene early in stalking circumstances.
Of final yr’s consultations, roughly 86 p.c of victims have been ladies, whereas 14 p.c have been males. Although nonetheless a minority, the variety of male consultations reached a five-year excessive. In most circumstances, the perpetrator was a present or former romantic associate.
Consultations involving GPS-enabled stalking additionally rose to 883 circumstances in 2024—the best since such knowledge started being tracked in 2021. Of these, 370 concerned the misuse of lost-item monitoring units similar to AirTags, which might be hooked up to objects like luggage or wallets to transmit location knowledge to a smartphone. That determine greater than tripled from 2022 and marked a file excessive.
While the 2021 authorized revision included GPS units below the Stalker Regulation Act, present legal guidelines don’t cowl passive trackers like AirTags, which don’t transmit location knowledge except linked to the person’s system. In response to the sharp enhance in circumstances, the NPA has introduced it’s now reviewing whether or not most of these units must also be regulated.
Separately, in March final yr, police nationwide started encouraging stalkers who obtain restraining orders to bear medical therapy or counseling. However, of the three,271 individuals focused by this effort in 2024, solely 184—or simply 6 p.c—really obtained counseling or therapy. The NPA acknowledged that whereas some perpetrators refuse to take part, those that genuinely need assistance ought to be directed to acceptable medical providers.
In a high-profile case that has drawn consideration to gaps in enforcement, 21-year-old Ayasayo Okazaki was discovered useless on the dwelling of her former boyfriend, Hidenori Shirai, in Kawasaki City in April. Although she had made a number of complaints to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police earlier than the incident, neither a warning nor a restraining order was issued below the anti-stalking regulation. The NPA mentioned it’s now reviewing each the authorized framework and enforcement practices to enhance how such circumstances are dealt with.
Source: FNN