TOKYO - The number of people arrested for violating Japan’s anti-stalking law reached a record high of 1,341 in 2024, while consultations regarding the misuse of tracking devices such as Apple’s AirTag also hit an all-time high, prompting the National Police Agency (NPA) to consider new regulations.
According to the NPA, police across Japan received 19,567 reports of stalking in 2024. While that figure was 276 fewer than the previous year, the total has remained at a consistently high level of around 20,000 annually in recent years.
Arrests for actions violating the Stalker Regulation Act—such as following someone or repeatedly calling them—reached a record 1,341 cases. Including other related criminal charges, such as unlawful entry, the total number of stalking-related arrests stood at 1,743. Police also issued a record 2,415 restraining orders under the Stalker Regulation Act to stop persistent behavior.
The rise in enforcement follows a 2016 amendment to the law allowing police to issue restraining orders without prior warnings, strengthening the authorities’ ability to intervene early in stalking cases.
Of last year’s consultations, roughly 86 percent of victims were women, while 14 percent were men. Although still a minority, the number of male consultations reached a five-year high. In most cases, the perpetrator was a current or former romantic partner.
Consultations involving GPS-enabled stalking also rose to 883 cases in 2024—the highest since such data began being tracked in 2021. Of these, 370 involved the misuse of lost-item tracking devices such as AirTags, which can be attached to items like bags or wallets to transmit location data to a smartphone. That figure more than tripled from 2022 and marked a record high.
While the 2021 legal revision included GPS devices under the Stalker Regulation Act, current laws do not cover passive trackers like AirTags, which do not transmit location data unless linked to the user’s device. In response to the sharp increase in cases, the NPA has announced it is now reviewing whether these types of devices should also be regulated.
Separately, in March last year, police nationwide began encouraging stalkers who receive restraining orders to undergo medical treatment or counseling. However, of the 3,271 people targeted by this effort in 2024, only 184—or just 6 percent—actually received counseling or treatment. The NPA stated that while some perpetrators refuse to participate, those who genuinely need help should be directed to appropriate medical services.
In a high-profile case that has drawn attention to gaps in enforcement, 21-year-old Ayasayo Okazaki was found dead at the home of her former boyfriend, Hidenori Shirai, in Kawasaki City in April. Although she had made multiple complaints to the Kanagawa Prefectural Police before the incident, neither a warning nor a restraining order was issued under the anti-stalking law. The NPA said it is now reviewing both the legal framework and enforcement practices to improve how such cases are handled.
Source: FNN
