Tokyo, Oct. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency said Thursday it will establish an expert panel to study the introduction of GPS tracking devices for stalkers to prevent murders and other serious crimes committed by them. The panel, whose first meeting is scheduled for Monday, will also discuss whether to mandate counselling and treatment for perpetrators. The panel will consist of eight members, including university professors who are well-versed in constitutional law and criminal policy, lawyers and counselling experts. A bereaved family member of a woman killed by her stalker in the city of Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, in 2012 will also serve on the panel. A possible system would require perpetrators who fail to comply with restraining orders to wear GPS devices, triggering warnings when they come near victims. According to the NPA, countries including Spain and Germany have systems that monitor stalkers and domestic abusers and allow police to intervene when they come within a specified distance of their victims. In South Korea, there have reportedly been no murders committed by offenders wearing such devices since the GPS-based stalker-tracking system was introduced in 2023. The Japanese expert panel is also expected to discuss the circumstances under which GPS devices would be mandatory and how long offenders would be required to wear them, along with how they should be supervised under the system. Constitutional concerns, including privacy and freedom of movement, are expected to be on the agenda as well. As many stalkers are believed to exhibit obsessive and controlling behavior, the panel will also consider requiring such individuals to undergo counselling and treatment to help manage their emotions. While these measures are considered effective, making them mandatory could restrict individual rights, necessitating consideration of who should be subject to them and what legal hurdles might arise. Since 2024, Japanese police have encouraged all people subject to restraining orders to seek counselling or treatment by introducing them to medical institutions and related organizations. Even so, fewer than 10 pct have actually undergone counselling or treatment, with 112 doing so in 2024 and 147 in 2025. The NPA intends to consider revisions to the antistalking law based on the panel’s recommendations. In 2025, Japanese police cleared 1,546 cases involving violations of the antistalking law, while the number of restraining orders issued totaled 3,037, both record highs. Following a case in March in which a woman was stabbed to death in Tokyo’s Higashi-Ikebukuro district by her former partner despite a restraining order being in place, the government in July compiled urgent countermeasures calling for the introduction of GPS monitoring of stalkers. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
