Japan Issues First Anti-Stalking Order Prohibiting Detectives from Disclosing Private Data

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) announced on June 22 that it has invoked the revised Anti-Stalking Act to prohibit a detective agency in Chuo Ward from supplying personal information to an individual known to engage in stalking behavior.

According to reports from the Sankei Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun, a 42-year-old internet broadcaster hired the firm in January to locate a woman he had dated a decade ago, claiming a financial dispute. The detective agency, reportedly unaware of the client's true intentions at the time of the transaction, fulfilled the request.

The perpetrator subsequently used the information to harass the woman and sent defamatory letters to her husband, leading to his arrest for intimidation in April. Following his release in May, the police issued a formal restraining order against him. Upon discovering the involvement of the private investigator, authorities initiated this unprecedented regulatory action.

The revised law, which took effect in March, grants police the authority to demand that third parties, including private detectives, cease the dissemination of sensitive data if it poses a risk of facilitating stalking. Police officials stated that this measure serves to clarify that industry operators may be held accountable as accomplices in stalking cases, thereby serving as a critical deterrent.