SAITAMA (TR) – In a pair of articles provided by the Sankei Shimbun, investigative sources have revealed that a male former employee of East Japan Railway is suspected of illicit photography of of women in restrooms and the theft of their belongings.
According to the source, the former employee, 37, was arrested in August last year on suspicion of violating the prefectural nuisance prevention ordinance for taking tosatsu voyeur photographs of women in a restroom at JR Urawa Station.
When the Saitama Prefectural Police checked the smartphone they seized, they found that it contained not only secret photos in public restrooms but also many videos of secretly taking photos of colleagues in the women’s restroom at the Kanda General Office in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo where he worked. He was rearrested the following month.
In the subsequent investigation, the former employee confessed that the secret filming in the bathroom had been going on for about three years and that he had filmed about four or five people on 40 occasions.
The Saitama District Public Prosecutors Office confirmed that nine of the cases took place in the office where the former employee worked between July 2023 and April last year.
The charges were changed to violation of the Act on the Punishment of Sexually Transmitted Images, etc., which carries a heavier penalty than the prefectural nuisance prevention ordinance as there was a risk that the video data left on the smartphone would be leaked to outside persons and the crimes were habitual and malicious.
To carry out the filming in the office, the former employee broke into a plumbing room. Measuring about one meter square, it is adjacent to a bathroom. Used a smartphone app that allows for silent filming, he pressed it against a wall so he could film through a gap. Regarding his motive, he said, “I felt guilty, but I had a strong desire to peek.”
JR East never revealed to the public that the investigation was ongoing. In an interview with Sankei Shimbun, one woman who was victimized said, “I asked the company many times to make it public, but they refused.”
Regarding these allegations, a representative of JR East said, “We are extremely sorry that a former employee caused a scandal. We will provide thorough training to our employees and strive to provide guidance to prevent recurrence.”
Tampons and sneakers
It was also learned that the former employee had been taking garbage from a collection point for tampons and other sanitary products in the women’s restroom at the Kanda office. He also pilfered women’s sneakers provided by the company. These stolen items had been hidden in his desk and locker over the past two to three years.
When questioned by the prefectural police, he said, “I thought it would be bad if the company found out, but I had a habit of collecting. I couldn’t stop.”
While he was incarcerated, the former employee asked his wife to dispose of the sanitary products hidden in his locker and desk. His wife asked her husband’s colleague to dispose of them via a chat on the app Line. Howeever, the colleague refused after checking the contents of the locker.
In an interview with Sankei Shimbun, one victim testified, “I asked the company to file a police report, but they did not agree. Why is the victim’s feelings ignored while the perpetrator’s privacy is protected? I still cannot accept it.”
Regarding the latter allegations, a representative from JR East said, “We consulted with the police on this matter as well, but it was difficult to identify the victim, so we decided not to file a report.”
