CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 58-year-old company executive for allegedly paying a female acquaintance to secretly film a middle school girl while she bathed and changed clothes, reports TV Asahi (July 8).
Sunao Kato, an executive based in Funabashi City, is accused of commissioning the woman to capture the illicit smartphone footage and transmit the data to him.
The case surfaced after a teacher at the victim’s middle school contacted the police. The teacher reported that a student had confided in them, stating she believed she was being secretly recorded while taking a bath.
According to investigators, Kato sent messages to the woman over social media urging her to “do your best to film.” At his behest, the woman secretly recorded the young girl on 11 separate occasions between October of last year and April.
The female accomplice was also arrested on July 1 on suspicion of violating the Child Prostitution and Child Pornography Prohibition Act.
Upon his arrest, Kato admitted to the allegations. “There is no mistake that I asked an acquaintance to take footage of a naked child and provide it to me,” he told police. “I wanted to see a naked child.”
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine if Kato is involved in any additional offenses.
