Editorial

15:53 JST, April 18, 2024

There is no end to the harm done by relentless stalkers. Some cases lead to even more serious incidents, including murder. In addition to strengthening enforcement against stalkers, treatment should be promoted to help perpetrators become less obsessed with their victims.

Based on the Anti-Stalking Law, police nationwide issued orders to perpetrators to immediately stop stalking or lying in wait for their victims in a record-high 1,963 cases last year.

The law was enacted in 2000 in response to the murder of a female university student in Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture. A 2017 amendment to the law made it possible to issue such orders in emergency situations even without prior warning.

However, there are cases in........

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