Published on Feb 14, 2023 06:05 PM IST
The men filmed and shared explicit images and videos of women bathing in hot springs.
The Japanese police has busted a voyeurism ring that filmed thousands of women bathing in hot springs across the country for over 30 years. Cops have arrested 16 men in Shizuoka prefecture, over a year after the arrest of the alleged ringleader, Karin Saito. The men filmed and shared explicit images and videos of women bathing in hot springs, The Independent reported.
Reportedly, Saito admitted to capturing voyeuristic pictures of naked women for 30 years in 46 different prefectures. He also informed the police about at least a dozen others in his group. The arrests were made earlier this month and the accused include senior company executives, local government officials and a doctor from Tokyo.
According to the police, Saito and his crew used high-end camera gear, such as long-focus telephoto lenses, to capture images of women taking baths in the outdoor hot springs. The men would take these pictures while hiding in mountainous areas several hundred meters from the springs.
The group would also get tips from Saito on how best to photograph the women, and hold gatherings to view the footage together.
Yutaka Seki, an executive director at the Japan Hot Springs Association, told a local news channel that while photography and filming are prohibited in hot springs, new technology makes it difficult to fully prevent such cases from happening. “I am very much in favor of both sexes being able to bathe together in a friendly and safe manner, but incidents such as this attract bad publicity and worry people,” he said.
