TOKYO (SCMP): A Japanese man is facing a two-year prison sentence for secretly filming 1,000 women bathing in several hot springs using cameras embedded in fake rocks.
The unidentified 31-year-old man from Fukushima prefecture was arrested in May after the hidden camera was discovered by one of the women at a hot spring in Yamagata prefecture.
She noticed strange reflections in a rock and realised it had a spy camera embedded in it, Japanese media outlet TBS News Dig reported.
The police retrieved the man-made rock after receiving the woman’s report and later arrested the perpetrator when he came looking for the camera.
He admitted to purchasing a telelens online and crafting a realistic rock structure using clay and brown plastic to conceal a hidden camera. To disguise the camera’s cable, he wrapped it in brown tape and connected it to a power bank.
Dressed as a mountain climber, he then hid behind a camouflage net, positioning the camera to observe his surroundings discreetly.
The police discovered 44 victims in the footage they retrieved.
The man confessed he had been doing the same thing at different hot springs since 2022, involving an estimated 1,000 victims.
He also reportedly had convictions for possessing child pornography.
The prosecutor has requested a two-year prison sentence, describing the crime as “planned, repeated, and fundamentally harmful,” highlighting the defendant’s high recidivism rate. The verdict will be delivered on Sept 17.
Japanese netizens expressed shock at the news.
“Two years is too short. It should be two years times the number of victims. They could be affected for a lifetime if the footage was uploaded to the internet,” one said.
“Light punishment for crimes is not punishment, more like encouragement,” another said.
The crime of secretly taking sexually exploitative images in a public space is commonly reported in Japan.
In 2022, 5,737 such cases were reported by the Japan National Police Agency, higher than in previous years. There were 5,730 cases last year.
Such behaviour violates the anti-nuisance ordinance, which has different prison terms depending on the prefecture. In Tokyo, perpetrators could face up to six months in jail or a fine of up to 500,000 yen (US$3,500).
Secret photography is an ongoing issue in Japan’s hot springs.
In 2021, police in Shizuoka prefecture arrested a man who was illegally carrying a knife near a hot spring.
He was using it to trim trees and branches that had been planted specifically to prevent cameras from being concealed. About 10 people involved in making and selling the footage were arrested.
Some people reportedly use telescopic lenses to photograph women bathing in hot springs from distances of over 100m. - South China Morning Post
