Japan minister ‘really angry' as teachers arrested for sharing upskirt photos
Two teachers were arrested.
The education minister expressed outrage.
Japan's education minister reacted angrily Friday after the arrests of two teachers who allegedly shared photos showing girls' underwear in a group chat that reportedly included nearly 10 elementary and junior high school teachers.
The case has shocked the country, which will next year launch its first national background check system for sex offences for those seeking to work with children.
If convicted, the teachers - a 42-year-old who lives in central Japan, and a 37-year-old south of Tokyo - will face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to ¥3 million ($21 000), a police spokesperson said.
The two men were arrested separately this week for taking photos in which girls' underwear was visible and sending them to the group chat, he told AFP.
READ | Japan subway attacker who stabbed man 'with the intent to kill' arrested
The men allegedly knew the girls 'were under 13', the spokesperson said.
Police sources said they believed the group, managed by the 42-year-old teacher, had 'nearly 10' teacher members including the two arrested, according to broadcaster NHK.
Around 70 photos and videos were shared in the group including those apparently taken at school or during extracurricular activities, with some showing girls changing clothes, NHK and other media outlets said.
'I feel really angry. This can never be tolerated,' education minister Toshiko Abe told reporters on Friday.
The ministry plans to hold an online meeting with the heads of local education boards to prevent similar incidents.
The primary school in the central city of Nagoya where one of the teachers was working held a meeting with more than 270 anxious parents on Thursday evening, NHK said.
'It's scary and creepy,' a mother in her 30s told the broadcaster.
'I'd like to know whether my child was one of the victims.'
The school has suspended physical education classes for the time being, NHK said.
Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa on Thursday called the alleged crimes 'unthinkable'.
'They made a national group and were sharing the images... I feel very sorry, and at the same time I'm filled with anger,' he said.
Japan is preparing to launch its own version of Britain's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) next year to protect children from sexual assault.
The DBS system will require those seeking jobs that involve working with children to undergo background checks for historical sex offences.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Hiker's body found after bear drags him from trail into forest in Japan, officials say
A hiker attacked by a wild brown bear was found dead in northern Japan on Friday, officials said, a day after the bloody encounter that reportedly saw him dragged into a forest. The hiker in his 20s tried to fight off the large animal but was pulled into the nearby woods with his legs bleeding profusely, local media outlets including the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. The man was attacked while walking a trail on Mount Rausu on the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, a local police spokesman told AFP. On Friday afternoon, he was found and taken to a hospital where he was officially pronounced dead, according to a Hokkaido government official. Hunters also caught and killed a bear near the trail, an official working for Shari town -- where the mountain is -- told AFP. DNA analysis will be conducted to determine whether the bear was responsible for the victim's death. A wallet containing a card that bore the man's name was found near the scene of the encounter in the northeastern part of Hokkaido, according to media. A torn, bloodied shirt believed to be his was also found Friday, with nearby trees and soil dotted with traces of blood, Kyodo news agency said, quoting police. Among other discovered items were a watch, a hat and what appeared to be tear gas, Kyodo said. The number of brown bears in Hokkaido fell year-on-year in 2023 for the first time since 1991, according to estimates released this month. There were about 11,600 at the end of 2023, down 500 from a year earlier. The Hokkaido government cited unprecedented hunting of brown bears, with a record 1,804 caught in the 12 months to March 2024. Human encounters with bears reached record levels in Japan last year, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times is a key factor, but as Japan's aging population shrinks, humans are leaving rural areas, and that is also leaving room for bears to move in. "Then that area recovered to the forest, so bears have a chance to expand their range," biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer in 2023. Japan is one of the only places on the planet where a large mammal species has been reclaiming habitat — which is good news for the bears, but if, as biologists suspect, the bear population is growing, the country will have to figure out new ways to protect people, and vital infrastructure like airports, from the animals. Japan's government in February approved a bill allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas. In December, a bear that rampaged through a Japanese supermarket for two days was lured out with food coated in honey. Police said the animal was trapped and later killed. In 2023, hunters killed an elusive brown bear nicknamed "Ninja" in Hokkaido after it attacked at least 66 cows, the Associated Press reported. That same year, local Japanese officials and media outlets reported that three bears were euthanized after sneaking into a tatami mat factory in the northern part of the country.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Renowned comic, actor Paul Rodriguez arrested in Burbank again
Comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez was arrested earlier this week in Burbank on suspicion of narcotics possession, according to multiple media reports. The arrest unfolded Monday evening at around 8:30 p.m. in a parking structure in Burbank's downtown area, The Los Angeles Times reported. A witness reportedly requested a welfare check, reporting concern about a man, later identified as Rodriguez, and a woman leaving a nearby restaurant who appeared 'under the influence and not alert.' Officers located the individuals matching the reporting party's description. Rodriguez was reportedly behind the wheel of the vehicle, with the woman in the passenger seat. 'The investigation led to the discovery of alprazolam [Xanax] and heroin inside of the female's personal bag,' Burbank Police Sgt. Stephen Turner told The Times, adding that the woman was arrested on suspicion of drug possession. Inside the 70-year-old entertainer's vehicle, officers also reportedly found pills suspected of being fentanyl and Xanax, though Rodriguez denied that the drugs were his. Lesbian teen says Buffalo Wild Wings server forced her to prove gender in restroom This arrest comes on the heels of another run-in with Burbank police in March, when he was allegedly found to be in possession of narcotics during a traffic stop. In that instance, Rodriguez told TMZ that he was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation and that a 'Caucasian' police officer on a 'power trip' slapped him to wake him up. Bobby Samini, the actor's attorney, told the outlet that Rodriguez cooperated with law enforcement and was not under the influence, nor did he have any controlled substances on his person, adding that the March 28 arrest was a violation of his client's civil rights and that they would establish 'Mr. Rodriguez's innocence in a court of law.' The Mexican-born comic, who grew up in East L.A., is best known for his standup comedy work, though he began working as an actor in sitcoms in the 1980s and starred in well-known films like 'Blood Work' with Clint Eastwood and 'The Whoopee Boys' with Michael O'Keefe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bloomberg
10 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Japan Brokers Seek to Identify Hackers After Fraud Surges
Japan's brokerage industry aims to identify accounts owned by phishing scammers, after fraudulent trades worth more than $4 billion rattled the nation's stock market. A Japan Securities Dealers Association panel is looking to start discussions on whether and how member brokers can identify and act against offenders' accounts at its upcoming annual meeting, said people familiar with the matter, asking not to be named because the issue is private. The JSDA's Internet Brokers Council, which comprises about 30 of the nation's major brokers, is weighing inviting officials from the Tokyo Stock Exchange and police to hear how they are planning to tackle the problem, they said.
