2003 JAPAN LAW: STALKING
Keywords: Criminal Law, Stalking
Copyright 2004. All rights reserved Attorney Roderick H. Seeman
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A man who had stalked and killed a Japanese woman was finally convicted and sentenced to life in prison by the Saitama District Court. The man had stalked the woman who had been the girl friend of his brother. She broke with the brother and he committed suicide. The man began stalking the woman apparently in preparation for her murder. The case became famous as it was the basis for the anti-stalking law enacted in November 2000. The woman had reported the stalking to the police and they refused to do anything about it. Thus the uproar after her murder led to the enactment of the law. The Saitama District Court in a separate civil case ordered Saitama Prefecture to pay damages to the parents of the deceased girl for the failure to act despite the many warnings.