Japan: Two Primary School Teachers Arrested Over Sharing Indecent Images of Girls

Two primary school teachers in Japan have been arrested for taking and sharing indecent images of young girls in an online chat group with other educators.

The suspects a 42-year-old teacher from a public school in Nagoya and a 37-year-old teacher from a public school in Yokohama admitted to taking photos and videos of girls under the age of 13, according to police statements reported by the BBC.

Authorities say the images included so-called upskirt photographs, which were shared in a group chat involving 10 teachers from primary and junior high schools. One of the arrested individuals is believed to have managed the chat group.

Japan only recently introduced legislation banning upskirting and the covert filming of sexual acts as part of a broader overhaul of its sexual offense laws.

The existence of the teachers’ chat group came to light following the arrest of one of the group members for depositing bodily fluids on a 15-year-old girl’s backpack, according to reports by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

A forensic examination of the suspect’s mobile phone led investigators to the group chat, which was hosted on an undisclosed social media platform.

Police say the group shared not only upskirt images but also videos of girls changing clothes and suspected deepfake content created from girls’ headshots. Some of the material appeared to have been recorded on school premises, though it remains unclear whether the footage was taken at schools where the teachers themselves worked.

In May 2023, Japan introduced wide-ranging legal reforms to modernize its century-old sex crime laws. The changes followed public outrage after a series of rape acquittals in 2019.

The updated laws criminalize filming minors “in a sexual manner without a justifiable reason,” with penalties including up to three years in prison or fines of up to 3 million yen (approximately £15,160 or $20,800).

The reforms also expanded the legal definition of rape and increased the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16.