If you would, dear reader, please take a moment of your time today and let Prime Minister Shinzo Abe know that you'd like him to treat Japan's stalking problem seriously. Let him know that you'd like the Diet to make real laws that would protect the women who are subject to harassment, humiliation, injury and even death by men who chase them.
So far already, 112,000 people have signed a nonpartisan petition to this effect — including Abe's own wife. But more on that later.
About year ago, I wrote how Japan's soulless stalking laws were costing lives. Even after she spoke with police, a 33-year-old housewife was stabbed to death in November 2012 by an ex-boyfriend who stalked her. The stalker had hired a private detective to find her, and even though that man was recently charged over his role in her death, nothing will bring the woman back to life.