TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the manager of shop for clothing chain Uniqlo for allegedly taking illicit photos of female customers earlier this year, reports the Tokyo Shimbun (Oct. 31).
Between July 28 and August 13, Kohei Takahashi, 35, is alleged to have used a smartphone to take tosatsu (voyeur) videos of the breasts and underwear of eight women, including a 15-year-old girl, in the fitting rooms of the store in the Otsuka area of Toshima Ward.
Upon his arrest for violating the Law Banning the Taking of Sexually Explicit Photographs, Takahashi said, “I could not suppress my desire to see their underwear.”
According to police, Takahashi began taking the photos in June. In carrying out the crimes, the suspect waited until he had guided the female targets into fitting rooms and other staff had left the area.
To take the shots, he pointed the camera of smartphone under the curtains for two to three seconds after the customers had dropped their underwear and other items into a basket.
The incident emerged after Takahashi was arrested in August for taking pictures up the skirts of high school girls on the JR Yamanote Line. An examination of his smartphone revealed approximately 50 videos of women that were likely taken in stores and elsewhere in July and August.
A representative of Uniqlo said in a statement, “”We deeply apologize to the victim and her family for the great inconvenience and pain we have caused. We take this violation of our customers’ trust very seriously and will do everything we can to prevent it from happening again.”
