TOKYO (TR) – Investigative sources revealed on Sunday that an Imperial Palace guard and multiple police officers have been sent to prosecutors after it was revealed they were customers of an online child pornography retailer that was busted earlier this year, reports NHK (Dec. 12).
According to the sources, the guard, who is also a bodyguard for the Imperial Family, was found to be in possession of multiple DVDs containing child pornography. The guard, aged in his 30s, later retired at his own request.
Also sent to prosecutors were an assistant inspector, a head patrol officer and a police staff member, from various administrative districts, on the same charge. All three persons, aged in their 30s and 40s, have retired from their posts.
“It was to satisfy my individual sexual curiosity,” said the head patrol officer, who was stationed in Kochi Prefecture.
Japan’s largest online seller of child pornography
In May, police arrested Kim Guang-sa, the 60-year-old operator of the internet site Kensen DVD Shop Arimasu over the alleged distribution of material in violation of the child pornography law.
A search of multiple locations affiliated with Kim, including his residence in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward, resulted in the confiscation of 20,000 discs, many of them including content featuring girls in elementary school or below.
At the time of the bust, police considered the shop to be the largest online seller of DVDs containing child pornography in the nation. Between January of last year and April of this year, the site collected 250 million yen in revenue.
While examining the customer list for the shop, including about 7,000 persons, the names of the guard and police officers surfaced.
“It is extremely regrettable that a criminal act has been committed by a police officer,” said Yuji Nishimura, a head inspector of the Kochi Prefectural Police. “By complying with laws and regulations, we will strive to prevent a recurrence.”
