Japan Plans GPS Tracking System for Teens

Thursday October 2, 2003 6:46 PM


By CHISAKI WATANABE

Associated Press Writer

TOKYO (AP) - Stunned by the kidnapping of a teenage girl, a rural Japanese city plans to use a satellite-linked tracking system to help parents find their children.

The northern city of Murakami has asked two security companies to provide the service for the families of 2,700 elementary and junior high school students, said Kenkichi Kimura, an official on the city's Board of Education.

The abduction of a 15-year-old girl last month prompted the program. A 26-year-old man took the teenager to his home on a nearby island, where she was rescued 11 days later.

With the new service, students will carry devices that will send out signals allowing their parents to pinpoint where they are through a Web site on the Internet, Kimura said Thursday.

It will use a combination of technologies provided by mobile phone companies and the Global Positioning System, a U.S. satellite navigation service used by everyone from hikers to ship captains.

The device also will be equipped with a button that can be pushed to call for help.

``If you are in a big city, people will come to help if you call for help,'' Kimura said. ``But here, students walk to school in the mountains and rice fields. We need the latest device.''

The city will pay a small part of the fee for the device. An anti-crime buzzer not linked to a security service will also be offered.

Kimura said he believed Murakami would be the first community in Japan to offer a citywide anti-crime service for children. If approved by the city assembly, the service could be in place by year's end.

 

there are alot of factors that this can fail.....

the kidnapper would know about this once this becomes popular and will obviously stop the person from signaling their parent and probably throw it out somewhere so they wont find them.....

 

I think this is a good idea. As long as it doesn't cost a fortune, it would some what be good for young children, and teens none the less. In addition, if someone was abducted hopefully with these devices he/she would be found Just my two cents.

 

Sounds expensive.

 

good deterent, not fool-proof though

 

Just like a car, if they want it bad enough they'll find a way to take it.

 

ah yes... humm... i think it is implanted in your left arm? no your right arm? no in your brain? no in your foot? lol

 

Maybe it's some kind of government plan to control people. J/K

 

Of course it is, its all a big conspiracy...

 

Won't the kidnappers know not to kidnap anyone from Murakami once this is enforced?
IMO the cost is going to outweigh the benefit, but I know if I lived their I would want to know where my child was all of the time.
meh, who cares, it's taxpayers money anyways right?

 

sure it's tax payers money, but lets say after a while...say in ten years or so.. something else came in replace of money... then what?

for example they have some kinda of scanning device that scans your eyes or a part of your hand in order to replace visas, id, cards..etc... now in the making..

 

oct 2 is 3 weeks ago.

Girl was kidnapped last week,


How accurate is this or did they know in advance