TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government approved bills to revise the laws against stalking and domestic violence on Tuesday, to restrict the use of Bluetooth tags to track a person's location, amid rising misuse of the device.

The use of GPS devices for unauthorized location tracking was banned under a previous revision of the anti-stalking law in 2021. But the use of Bluetooth tags, which are usually attached to valuable items to help users find them, was not restricted.

The anti-domestic violence law is also set to be revised to ensure the use of such tags is prohibited under restraining orders issued by courts.

If the bills are enacted during the current extraordinary parliamentary session through Dec. 17, they will be enforced 20 days after promulgation.

The number of stalkers who utilize the tags via their smartphone has risen in recent years. There were 196 such reported incidents in 2023 and 370 in 2024, according to the National Police Agency's data. The 2025 figure has already exceeded the previous year's, it showed.

A further change to the anti-stalking law includes authorizing police to intervene without waiting for a request from the person being stalked.

This follows the murder of a 20-year-old woman near Tokyo, when the police failed to take sufficient measures to protect her even though they knew she was being stalked.

The revisions also include a provision to allow police to request third parties, such as private detectives, not to provide victims' personal information to stalkers.