Japan mulls over GPS tracking of stalkers to prevent further harm

TOKYO – Japan on July 28 compiled emergency countermeasures aimed to prevent further harm and protect victims from stalkers. This may include having perpetrators wear Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices.The plans submitted to the ministerial meeting for measures against crime come as the government has been studying international cases where such devices have been used to track sex offenders.The government will also be investigating technologies that enable the miniaturisation of said devices, and may consider revising the current anti-stalking law.The GPS tracking devices would be used for those under a restraining order to prevent them from stalking their victims, who will be notified if the stalker is close by.Discussions will be further held to determine whether to limit the target of the devices to more dangerous cases.Stalking has increasingly come under the spotlight in Japan in recent years, with 3,037 restraining orders in 2025, the highest since 2000 when the current anti-stalking law took effect.The revisions may also include a requirement for stalkers to undergo counselling.The proposals follow the fatal stabbing of a woman by her former partner at her workplace in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district in March. The suspect was arrested in 2025 for stalking the woman, and a restraining order was issued in January. KYODO NEWS