Phone harassment is a general term for harassment conducted via telephone. It encompasses repeated silent calls, persistent calls during late-night or early-morning hours, threatening conversations, calls containing sexual remarks, and high-volume calls that disrupt business operations. It is broadly divided into stalker-type harassment targeting specific individuals and aggressive telemarketing solicitation targeting the general public.
Phone harassment is regulated under multiple laws. The Anti-Stalking Act defines silent calls, and repeated phone calls, faxes, and emails sent despite refusal, as "harassing acts" (tsukimatoi) when they are directed at a specific person to satisfy romantic or other feelings of affection, or resentment over such feelings going unfulfilled. A person who repeats such acts commits "stalking," punishable by up to 1 year imprisonment or a fine of up to 1 million yen (Article 18). The 2021 amendment also added obtaining a person's location without consent through GPS devices and similar equipment to the regulated behaviors. The Intimidation offense (Penal Code Article 222) applies when threats are made against "life, body, freedom, honor, or property," carrying up to 2 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 300,000 yen. The Obstruction of Business offenses (Penal Code Articles 233 and 234) cover obstructing a person's business by fraudulent means or by force, and mass harassment calls that disrupt a company's operations may fall under them.
If you are targeted, start by preserving evidence. Enable call recording and document the date, time, frequency, and content of calls. Use Number Display to identify the caller's number and save screenshots. Once evidence is gathered, consult your local police station. A "warning" is issued by the police (the Superintendent-General of the Metropolitan Police Department, a prefectural police chief, or a police station chief), and a "prohibition order" by the Prefectural Public Safety Commission, either at the victim's request or on their own authority. Stalking in violation of a prohibition order carries enhanced penalties of up to 2 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 2 million yen (Article 19).
For immediate defense, call blocking is effective. In addition to blocking specific numbers, setting a blanket block on withheld number calls also stops perpetrators who hide their number when calling back. In serious cases, changing your phone number or consulting an attorney are also options. See Stalker Phone Harassment for legal details and Evidence Collection for Phone Harassment for specific preservation methods.