Mainichi reports:
The Supreme Court is likely to hand down a unified ruling as early as this spring on whether the use of GPS tracking devices in police investigations is legal.
The top court held an appeal hearing on Feb. 22 in connection with a criminal trial of a man charged with theft and other offenses. The focus of the trial is on whether police violated the Constitution in using a GPS device to track the man without a court-issued warrant. A defense lawyer for the man stated, “It constitutes an investigation that required a warrant from the court. The investigation without a warrant is illegal and violated the Constitution as well.” The prosecution took issue with the defense’s argument, saying, “The degree of the infringement on his privacy is not large and the probe is within the bounds of the investigation conducted on a non-compulsory basis.”
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