The Osaka District Court is upholding the use of data from police GPS tracking devices which officers attached to cars suspected of being used by criminals.

Presiding Judge Hidenori Nagai decided Tuesday to admit as evidence data from such devices even though they were installed without the owner's knowledge, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. The judge decided that the use of a GPS device is not illegal as it does not violate the suspect's privacy to any great extent.

The judicial decision is the first on the use of data from a GPS tracker in a criminal investigation, the defendant's lawyer said. Prefectural police departments have used GPS devices since the National Police Agency in 2006 drew up guidelines on their use.