Japan is considering requiring individuals deemed “high-risk” stalkers to wear GPS tracking devices under a new proposal aimed at preventing offenders from approaching victims, the government revealed Tuesday.

The proposal was included in emergency measures compiled at a ministerial meeting Tuesday on crime prevention. Following a proposed amendment to the current anti-stalking law, under the new system, offenders judged to pose a serious threat could be fitted with electronic tracking devices.

Victims would receive an automatic alert when an offender entered a designated area, giving them time to leave or contact police.

But many key details remain unclear.

Officials have not yet decided on exactly who would be deemed as “high-risk,” how long devices would need to be worn, whether court approval would be required, whether police would have access to real-time location data and how much information would be shared with victims.

The review was prompted by the March killing of a 21-year-old woman at the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo store in the capital’s Ikebukuro district by her ex-boyfriend, who had previously been arrested on suspicion of violating the anti-stalking law and was issued a restraining order.

Police had arranged for the woman to stay with relatives and maintained contact with her, but were unable to prevent the attack. The man took his own life immediately after fatally stabbing her in the store.

“It was an extremely tragic incident,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We will proceed with these initiatives with a sense of urgency.”

Last year, police made a record 1,546 arrests for violations of the anti-stalking law, up 205 from the previous year and marking a fourth consecutive annual increase. The number of restraining orders exceeded 3,000.

The review will also consider the technical and operational challenges in tracking offenders. It will also take into account the Justice Ministry’s consideration of using GPS devices in the supervision of sex offenders and others released on parole.

The government says that it will examine programs used in other countries to determine a path forward. For example, South Korea amended its anti-stalking act in 2023 to let stalkers be electronically monitored, allowing courts to require certain offenders wear GPS-enabled devices.

The government is also considering treatment or counseling for stalkers deemed at risk of committing serious crimes to be made mandatory. Police currently encourage offenders subject to restraining orders to receive psychological treatment, but only 184 of 3,271 people referred in 2024 did, a rate of just 5.6%.

The emergency package also calls for rehabilitation programs tailored to stalking offenders to be established and provided in prisons and other correctional institutions.