A man in Kobe, Japan, was arrested for violating Japan’s anti-stalking law. However, he claimed to have only been playing Pokemon GO nearby by chance.
Pokemon GO has faced criticism in the past on several occasions. For example, sex offenders are legally prohibited from playing the game in New York. PokeStops are not exactly welcome in memorials.
When a stalker recently tried to use Pokemon GO as a scapegoat, it was not accepted.
He was just playing Pokemon GO
He was “accidentally” in the area: A 51-year-old man was detained in Kobe (Japan) for violating the anti-stalking law for initially 19 days. The police picked him up at the house of his 33-year-old female victim. However, he denied all allegations. The man has been prohibited from approaching and stalking her for nearly 10 years now.
Instead of admitting his guilt, he claimed to have only played Pokemon GO and happened to pass by her house. The man regularly loitered near the house from May 31 to July 12, as evidenced by surveillance camera footage.
It may sound like a short period of time, but the man was first warned by the police for stalking in 2009. Therefore, they did not let his excuse with Pokemon GO pass.
Drastic measures?
Drawing consequences from experience: “Tsukimatoi” (stalking), as it is called in Japan, is indeed a serious problem in the country. Action was first taken against it in 2000, and it was legally defined as a crime. That is a full 7 years before Germany.
The trigger for this was a brutal murder of a student, preceded by months of stalking that was not taken seriously. After further murders, the law was also extended in 2017 to include stalking via the internet and social media.
