TOKYO – The number of stalking cases in Japan in which police took action rose by 260, or 24.1 percent, in 2024 from the previous year to a record high of 1,341, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

The NPA said the number of restraining orders issued under the stalking control law rose 23 percent to 2,415, exceeding 2,000 for the first time. Emergency orders accounted for about 60 percent.

The number of consultations with police about stalking was nearly flat at 19,567.

Cases in which police took action over noncompliance with restraining orders stood at 233.

The NPA said cases in which offenders committed stalking again accounted for some 8 percent of the total. PNA/Jiji Press