Japanese police report spike in stalking cases following several high-profile incidents
Rights groups working with victims say new figures reflect growing understanding of problem following several high-profile incidents
Cases of stalking and domestic violence have risen dramatically across Japan, according to new figures - with stalking at a record high for the third year running as concerns grow about the phenomenon.
Figures released by the National Police Agency (NPA) indicate that there were 59,072 cases of domestic violence in calendar 2014, an increase of 19.3 per cent on the previous year, while police had to intervene in a record 22,823 stalking incidents - up 8.2 per cent.
The first few months of this year have seen a number of high-profile cases, suggesting that the figures for 2015 are likely to remain on a rising trend.
On Thursday, 32-year-old Hikaru Saito was arrested in Tokyo's Adachi Ward on suspicion of killing his former wife.
Chinatsu Nojiri was dead on arrival at a nearby hospital and had apparently died of strangulation, Kyodo News reported. Police quoted Saito as saying he had got into an argument with Nojiri, lost his temper and strangled her.
Three days previously, a police officer was arrested for allegedly stalking a woman in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Identified as Katsunori Iwama, 58, the suspect reportedly threatened the woman, a former girlfriend, in a series of e-mails in which he threatened to release compromising photos of her.