TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four individuals for allegedly extorting cash from a man who secretly filmed and distributed a sex video involving one of the suspects.
The case has stirred controversy online. In addition the circulation of photos showing body tattoos of one suspect, questions are being raised about which party is truly culpable, reports Friday (June 19).
On June 12, Yuya Kamiya, 34, was sent to prosecutors from the Tachikawa Police Station. Sporting heavy tattoos across his neck, hands, and fingers, Kamiya maintained an apathetic expression as he faced a swarm of press cameras. He was arrested alongside 28-year-old Hyoga Takamichi and two 19-year-old women. All four are residents of Tokyo of unknown occupation.
The incident occurred in June 2024. According to investigative sources, the victim, a man in his 20s, had filmed himself having sexual intercourse with one of the 19-year-old female suspects. After discovering that the video was circulating online, the teen consulted Kamiya, leading the group to hatch a blackmail scheme.
The suspects summoned the victim to a bar in Hachioji City, where they allegedly made false accusations of sexual assault to shake him down.
“I heard you raped her,” they allegedly told the man. “The going rate for a sex crime settlement is 4 million yen, but 2 million yen is fine.”
The group is accused of forcing the man to hand over 50,000 yen in cash on the spot as a down payment.
Upon questioning by police, Kamiya has opted to remain silent. The other three suspects, including the two 19-year-old women, have denied the allegations.
Social media
The case has sparked fierce debate on Japanese social media, with many commentators pointing out that the victim of the extortion is also a perpetrator for illicitly filming and distributing “revenge porn.”
Crime journalist Taihei Ogawa noted that while the suspects attempted to frame the sexual encounter as a rape to demand a settlement, the police’s characterization of the claim as a “false accusation” suggests the act itself was consensual.
“If the 19-year-old woman had simply filed a police report about the non-consensual filming and distribution of the video, the man would have been arrested, and she wouldn’t be a criminal suspect now,” Ogawa explained. “It’s obvious they saw an opportunity to squeeze money out of him under the guise of a settlement. If she had used a lawyer or filed a civil suit, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
