New measures needed to tackle stalking, says NPA

Good that they're acknowledging that measures up to now ("Bad boy, keep away from her and don't do it again. Now get out!") aren't working. A great tragedy that it has taken so many deaths for them to do so.

@Maria

So all stalkers ore men to women then? This is the problem, people laugh when they say they fear a female stalker so they are less likely to report. Many think this is a crime that only effects women and that is wrong and sexist.

Oh don't be tiresome Steve. The latest crimes to have set off this need to change the approach have been the attacks/murders of women by men.

Nobody disagrees that women can be the aggressor as well. Just because men, in this case, are the minority victim, doesn't mean they shouldn't be included. Just because it's overwhelmingly women who end up dead, doesn't mean male victims don't need support too. I agree with you that both sexes should be protected.

However, what is this need for you to immediately stand up and shout "But what about us MEN?" ? It's not a competition for who should get more attention, is it?

@Maria

Stalkers are about 50% of either. There is no evidence that this law was inacted due to crimes by male on female crimes. No it is not a competition but you posted "bad boy keep away from her" which suggests that this is to protect women from men . Being killed by a stalker is very very rare and these type of articles are written to make men seem like aggressors and women as victims.

Stalkers are about 50% of either.

What is your source, please?

@Maria

That is a fact, show otherwise. Most likely more likely women as they do this kind of stuff because of raging hormones and fear of being a spinster. Maybe not all do violent acts but many do awful acts and terrorise their victims.

Pepper spray. Hand it out free, and give free classes on how to use it.

Will it be misused? Of course. There will be a few folks who pepper spray people who don't need to be pepper sprayed.

But pretty soon, most guys will look at a J-girl and think, "hmm, I'd like to grab her boobies, but I don't want to go blind, never mind."

If a stalker gets too close to a girl, and gets sprayed in the face, I doubt he'll come back.

This, of course, would put power in the hands of ordinary citizens, and the police will NOT want to do that, as it will take away from their pretend authority.

So despite how "good" this sounds, it's really just a bunch of lip service. The cops will talk about "redoubling their efforts," or other nonsense, while girls will continue to be killed.

This was an issue 10 years ago! Nice to see that the police NOW feel its time to act. I really hope they act and not convene a series of meetings that end with nothing. Well more deaths.!

Let's get guns! Stalkers be gone!

All the law can do, considering what has already been done, is enact measures and an atmosphere that will make even decent men wary of women in general. Considering the poor state of dating in Japan, that would be a tragedy.

Much better would be an awareness campaign combined with police providing information on how people, especially women, can protect themselves and have their families and friends step up to help them.

Lets face it, it does not matter how many women stalk men, its that men tend are the ones who tend to be violent, and willing and able to rape and murder. But we also have to face the fact that even the overwhelming majority of stalking men don't do that, and it leaves the police in a quandry. Of all the thousands of stalking cases, they don't know which will turn violent and they cannot hold everyone's hands 24/7.

Even hiring a bodyguard can be a better option than expecting the police to perform some sort of clairvoyant miracle.

I would run if I received any threat.

The problem is not the actual stalking. The problem is the emotional state of these goons stalking, abusing and killing them. Unfortunately, they are a product of a society that is known for its sexism towards women at just about every level of society. You could also add the porn manga and child porn to it. Most of the men in this country have zero respect for women and this intimidation and stalking is a direct result of it. The cops and the government can change as many laws as they like, but it is not gonna stop this from happening.

@Maria Allow me to fight the other side and suggest one has to be a little careful about overly powerful anti-stalker legislation.

Remember that while "stalking" is illegal, its component actions in most cases entirely legal. As in "I'm not following you. I'm just using the same length of road." and "Behind you a lot? That's coincidence and just being behind you is also perfectly legal."

An overly liberal legislation will have the danger of abuse by police, or by people (think enzai chikan).

Remember that police agencies (not just Japan) always want to expand their authority and while high profile "failures" are embarrassments to them, they are also opportunities to gain power by playing on our feelings. Be very careful of what you are willing to grant them.

@Kazuaki - You are fear-mongering.

While I agree that steps too far should not be taken, nothing (within this article at least) suggests that any of their ideas are "overly powerful" or "overly liberal". Is there anything you consider extreme about:

"... the establishment of an investigative division dedicated to looking into serious cases involving abduction or false imprisonment..."

or:

".. officers at local police stations being obliged to contact the relevant police headquarters and report any case in which a victim's life has been threatened." ?

Perhaps you have better access to the meeting minutes, from another newspaper, which might give us a clearer understanding of your concerns.

[All the law can do, considering what has already been done, is enact measures and an atmosphere that will make even decent men wary of women in general.] Stalking is NOT like asking for a date or even meeting someone for coffee. It's pursuing an individual either electronically or in person. Most often harassing that person physically or mentally. If a person does not respond to the attention offered, STOP. Decent men do not force themselves on a woman that refuses his attention.

Although each case is different, I saw what I thought was a good approach on TV the other day where a matrix is used to determine a correct response based on actions so far (the matrix is based on experience from previous incidents)

Stalking is NOT like asking for a date or even meeting someone for coffee.

@ham21--Nor is stalking easy to define. If I go to a cafe once and see a woman I find attractive going to work I may decide to stop by again the next morning. If I see again, I stop by again. Repeat. One day I wave and she waves back. Next day I say hello and she says hello. Next day I ask for a date and she demurely declines. I ask again the next day. And she politely says no. Am I now stalking? Or is it stalking if I ask again?

How about if a couple dates for a few years and suddenly have fight. One wants to get make up and calls and knocks on his door. He says he wants to break up. How many calls and how many knocks until its stalking? What if its determined to be stalking but the guy relents and gets back together with the woman?

If people just point blank ask for a date the answer is usually no. You have to be subtle. Subtlety invites confusion, but its a dating requirement. Its a horrible quandry people get into and some third party in a uniform is going to have a hell of a time sorting it if the two people involved are not even clear about what is happening.

Thus, its not a simple deal at all. And all it will take is a few high profile crack downs on people like in the examples above and decent men will become wary of women. Thanks to the term sexual harassment being coined and all the confusion about what it actually means, many men already are. Some men have been hit with suits for really trivial things. I have even gotten snapped at for opening the door for a woman even though I open doors for men sometimes as well. These are already confusing times concerning gender relations. Trust me, you don't want to add to that fire. Men and women alike need to learn how to protect themselves. Only so much the cops can reasonably do and with all the social training already out there, those who stalk are not going to get fixed with a bit more.

Non-response or rejection is different that what you describe. Forcing your attention on someone is NOT the way to start a relationship.

@ControlFreak - I think ham 21 has answered your questions before you even asked them, in their post of October 28th, 09:13:

Stalking is NOT like asking for a date or even meeting someone for coffee. It's pursuing an individual either electronically or in person. Most often harassing that person physically or mentally. If a person does not respond to the attention offered, STOP.

If your (the universal 'you') behaviour is distressing someone, stop doing it. If your behaviour involves doing things in secret because you know the object of your attention would be upset if they found out, then stop doing it. If you continue to justify your obsessive behaviour, thinking s/he will come around eventually, then you have a problem, and you should stop doing it.