TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 29-year-old employee of Nikkei Inc. for the alleged unauthorized access to phone and email accounts belonging to female celebrities, including popular model Moe Oshikiri, reports TBS News (Nov. 30).
Between December of 2014 and April of this year, Jun Terai, an employee in a digital department of the company, allegedly gained unauthorized accessed to Apple and Google accounts belonging to Oshikiri, Miyuki Watanabe, a former member of all-girl group NMB48, and two other women.
According to investigators, Terai viewed private photographs of Oshikiri and Watanabe after gaining access to the accounts, which was achieved by entering nicknames and birthdays for the celebrities as passwords upon obtaining their phone numbers or email addresses.
Terai admits to the allegations. “I felt pleasure in using my mind to get the password, it was a like a game,” the suspect is quoted.
During the investigation, an examination of a mobile phone belonging to the suspect revealed contact information for more than 100 actresses and models, according to NHK (Nov. 30).
“Regarding the arrest of an employee, we recognize that no personal information of customers was utilized,” a representative of Nikkei, which produces the Nikkei Shimbun business daily, is quoted. “Upon confirming all the facts of the case, we will deal with the matter strictly.”
