Japan Gov’t Approves Bills To Restrict Use Of Bluetooth Tags For Stalking

TOKYO, Nov 11 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- The Japanese government approved bills to revise laws against stalking and domestic violence on Tuesday, aiming to restrict the use of Bluetooth tags to track a person’s location amid rising misuse of the devices, Kyodo news agency reported.

The use of GPS devices for unauthorised location tracking was banned under a previous revision of the anti-stalking law in 2021. However, the use of Bluetooth tags, which are usually attached to valuable items to help users locate them, was not restricted.

The anti-domestic violence law is also set to be revised to ensure the use of such tags is prohibited under restraining orders issued by courts.

If the bills are enacted during the current extraordinary parliamentary session, which runs through Dec 17, they will be enforced 20 days after promulgation.

The number of stalkers who have utilised the tags via their smartphones has risen in recent years, with 196 reported incidents in 2023 and 370 in 2024, according to data from the National Police Agency.

The 2025 figure has already exceeded the previous year’s, the data showed.

A further change to the anti-stalking law includes authorising police to intervene without waiting for a request from the person being stalked.

This follows the murder of a 20-year-old woman near Tokyo, in which police failed to take sufficient measures to protect her even though they knew she was being stalked.

The revisions also include a provision allowing police to request third parties, such as private detectives, not to provide victims’ personal information to stalkers.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO