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Upskirting crimes have long plagued Japan. Now children are becoming offenders
Police recorded 9,237 voyeurism arrests in 2025 as reported cases involving minors nearly sextupled, driven by smartphones and online sharing networks.
- Police made 9,237 arrests for voyeurism offenses nationwide in 2025, the highest number on record. Authorities attribute part of the increase to a new law that expanded the scope of offenses.
- Court-Appointed psychotherapist Daisuke Nakamura reports a growing number of minor patients at his clinic, with some as young as 13 or 14 years old. When he opened the clinic 15 years ago, most clients were middle-aged men.
- Cybersecurity expert and child rights activist Sumire Nagamori says constant access to cameras enables copycat behavior before children learn digital ethics. Smartphones have made the crime easier than ever to carry out and repeat.
- Victim Ayaka was six years old when her swimming instructor began photographing her, leaving what her father Suzuki calls a "permanent digital scar." The instructor was sentenced to four years in prison.
- Experts warn Japan's legal framework struggles to keep pace with digital sexual abuse, as critics note gaps in the Child Pornography Law. Telegram reported removing more than 260,000 groups and channels in 2026 alone.
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7 Articles
7 Articles
By Hanako Montgomery, Yumi Asada, and Daniel Campisi, CNN. Ayaka was six years old when she was first upskirted. Her swimming instructor, a man who had been targeting children for more than a decade, took illicit photos and videos of her genitals. He then shared the images in a Telegram group with other pedophiles, who were so grateful for the content that they called him "God." Ayaka's father, Suzuki—both names have been changed for privacy—onl…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources7
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution86% Center
Bias Distribution
- 86% of the sources are Center
86% Center
14%
C 86%
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