News that a female employee was fatally stabbed by her former partner-turned-stalker at a Pokemon store in Tokyo sent shockwaves across the country. Revelations that the offender had previously been arrested for stalking begged the question: Why could the murder not have been prevented if he had already been caught for stalking the same victim?
This remains only the latest in a string of stalking-turned-murder incidents that have continued to plague Japan, and such cases cannot be stopped unless more prevention measures and help are channeled toward the offenders, experts say.?
On March 26, 21-year-old Moe Harukawa was stabbed to death at the crowded Ikebukuro store by 26-year-old Taiki Hirokawa, who then took his own life. The two had been in a relationship that ended in July 2025.
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