KYOTO -- In an effort to provide more effective help to stalking victims in the Kansai region, a six-member network, including lawyers, public notaries and a security firm, was formed Thursday.
Akiyo Takita, a public notary in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, said that while police receive various complaints about stalkers, the cases are often considered not serious enough to warrant any action. Takita, who came up with the idea to form the network, used to work for the Shiga Prefectural Police Department.
Despite the implementation in November of an antistalking law, police have been criticized for not taking stalking victims' complaints seriously.
By making use of a wide variety of professionals, the network can deal with individual cases more quickly and flexibly, Kyoto-based lawyer Chiemi Saga said.
"We will coordinate among our network members to effectively deal with each case," she said. "We will, of course, cooperate with police, if necessary."
While the network will deal with cases in Kansai only, Saga said she hopes a similar network will be formed in other regions.