Kawasaki Stalking Case: Disregard of Complaints Brought about Worst Outcome

Editorial

16:19 JST, September 7, 2025

If the authorities had listened sincerely to the complaints about stalking and responded appropriately, couldn’t the victim’s life have been saved? The results of an investigation can be said to have confirmed this speculation was correct.

The Kanagawa prefectural police released an investigative report on their handling of a case in which a woman living in Kawasaki who had reported to the police that she was being stalked was ultimately murdered by her former boyfriend.

The report concluded, “All police officers involved underestimated the danger and urgency [of the situation] and failed to take basic action.” It also stated that the prefectural police’s internal system for handling stalking cases had become a mere formality, falling into dysfunction.

As a result, the prefectural police repeatedly disregarded the complaints made by the woman and her family members, leading to a series of inappropriate responses. Forty-three people, including the chief of the prefectural police, were punished for their handling of this case.

According to the report, the woman repeatedly contacted a police station about violent acts and other issues involving her former boyfriend since June last year. In December, she reported stalking incidents nine times, but police officers handled these complaints only over the phone and did not share the information sufficiently within the station nor with the prefectural police headquarters.

Partly because the woman had withdrawn a formal complaint she filed at one point, the entire police station had been caught up in the preconceived notion that the case was “resolved,” according to the report.

Victims of stalking cases often experience fluctuating emotions due to fear of retaliation. There have been cases in which situations appeared to have calmed down but then escalated suddenly.

If the prefectural police had contacted her former boyfriend earlier and issued a warning or restraining order under the Anti-Stalking Law, the result might have been different. It must be said the police lacked knowledge and understanding of stalking cases.

Even after the woman went missing on Dec. 20, the prefectural police were slow in their response. They did not take seriously her family’s pleas to conduct an investigation as soon as possible.

The law was enacted in 2000 following the murder of a female university student in Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture. However, cases in which investigations have been one step behind have continued to occur one after another.

The number of reports to police about stalking incidents remains high, hovering at about 20,000. Stalking tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated, such as secretly attaching tags, which are originally designed to track lost items, to locate stalking targets.

In response to the findings of the investigation, the National Police Agency has called for all prefectural police headquarters to assign senior officers to a commanding position for stalking cases. The agency is also considering seeking a revision to the law to allow the police to issue warnings to perpetrators without being requested to do so by victims.

However, it is insufficient just to strengthen systems and laws alone. If investigators continue to lack seriousness and commitment, the safety of victims cannot be ensured. Each police officer must keep this in mind and prevent similar failures from occurring again.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 7, 2025)