Wednesday's shooting death of a 26-year-old woman in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, is a sour reminder that even though the anti-stalking law was bolstered last year, measures against the crime remain flawed.
On Wednesday, Chihiro Suzuki was found dead in a car in Tatebayashi, and police suspect her ex-boyfriend, who was arrested last year for assaulting the victim and was later released after paying a fine and receiving a warning from the authorities, was her killer.
In November, a 22-year-old woman was stabbed to death in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, by a former boyfriend. This was a month after an 18-year-old high school girl in Mitaka, Tokyo, was murdered by an ex-boyfriend. Both victims had complained to police of being stalked, but authorities apparently failed to adequately respond.