  The normal-state in-plane resistivity (\rho_{ab}) is measured in lightly
Zn-doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 (LSCO) crystals with 0.06 \leq x \leq 0.17 to
systematically study the localization behavior. It is found that the
localization temperature, T_{loc}, where \rho_{ab}(T) turns from metallic
(d\rho_{ab}/dT>0) to insulating (d\rho_{ab}/dT<0), shows an anomalous
enhancement at x=0.12. Intriguingly, the doping dependence of T_{loc} in
Zn-doped LSCO is found to be similar to that of Zn-free LSCO where
superconductivity is suppressed by a high magnetic field. This suggests that
the mechanism of the localization is the same in lightly Zn-doped LSCO and in
Zn-free LSCO under magnetic field, and in both cases it is probably caused by
the freezing of the electrons into an inhomogeneous state, which leads to the
spin stripes at low temperatures.
