Japan police uncover ‘online paedophile group' of teachers
Japan have been charged with taking photos of little girls in their underwear and then sharing the images with at least 10 more colleagues, in a case which has roused public outcry.
On Tuesday, police arrested Yuji Moriyama, 42, a teacher at Kosaka Elementary School in Nagoya, and Fumiya Kosemura, 37, a teacher at Hongodai Elementary School in Yokohama.
Around 70 indecent photographs and video clips were found on Moriyama's computer, along with up-skirt images and 'deepfake' composite images that combined children's heads with other sexualised pictures, the Asahi newspaper reported, quoting the Aichi prefectural police. Some appeared to have been taken in school.
Both men admitted the charges, police said.
The investigation has now turned to identifying the other members of the 'online paedophile group' who also received the images. Early investigations suggest the group was managed by Moriyama and was made up of primary and junior high school teachers with a similar fondness for pornographic images of very young girls.
Primary school pupils head for classes in Osaka, western Japan. Photo: Kyodo/AP
In Japan, the ages of primary and junior high school children range from six to 15.
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