Japan to set up expert panel on GPS tracking stalkers

Japanese police announced plans on Thursday to establish an expert panel to address measures for safeguarding stalking victims through the use of GPS tracking devices. The panel will also examine mandatory counseling and suitable treatment for stalkers, as well as strategies to alleviate concerns over potential breaches of offenders' human rights.

The objective is to produce a report to facilitate an urgent revision of the anti-stalking law. Stalking has garnered significant attention in Japan recently, notably a case where a woman was fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend at her workplace in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district in March. This occurred despite the perpetrator having been ordered to stay away under the anti-stalking law.

GPS tracking devices are envisioned to deter stalking crimes by alerting victims to the approach of stalkers, as stated by the National Police Agency. The inaugural meeting of the panel, comprising specialists in areas such as mental health and law, is scheduled for the following Monday. The panel will include the family of a victim who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Emergency measures, which include the consideration of GPS tracking for stalkers, were announced by the government in July following the Ikebukuro incident. In 2025, there were 22,881 instances of individuals seeking counseling about stalking, surpassing the 20,000 threshold for the first time in five years. Additionally, there were 3,037 restraining orders, the highest since the current anti-stalking law came into effect in 2000, according to the agency.

Of those previously subject to a restraining order, only 147 sought treatment or counseling in 2025. In the Ikebukuro case, the assailant had been counseled by police to seek treatment but failed to comply.