TOKYO (TR) – Portrait model Riiko Asakawa has filed a police report after discovering a hidden camera inside a studio changing room, alleging that the device was planted by a veteran photographer she had trusted for years, reports Nikkan Sports (July 19).
On Saturday, Asakawa took to X to reveal the tosatsu voyeurism incident, stating that she has already identified the suspect and gone to the authorities.
“A hidden camera was set up in the changing room during a studio shoot,” Asakawa wrote. “He was a photographer I’ve known for a very long time and had shot with many times, so the shock is huge. I am truly depressed and terrified.”
“I was completely fooled”
Asakawa detailed the calculated lengths the photographer went to in order to deceive her. The two had arranged to meet at a train station just before 1:00 p.m. to walk to the location together.
“He pretended to be looking for the studio and acted as if he was entering it for the very first time,” she explained, noting that the camera had already been planted prior to their arrival. “It means you can’t even trust a station meetup. I was completely fooled.”
The traumatic betrayal has prompted Asakawa to update her profile to indicate she is taking a one-week hiatus. She admitted she is reconsidering her future in the industry and will likely implement stricter booking rules if she decides to return.
“I wanted to trust everyone, but I realized this is a world where you can’t be naive just because you’ve shot with someone multiple times,” she wrote.
Dark underbelly
The incident has highlighted a dark underbelly within the local portrait modeling scene. Fellow model Kaede Tachikawa reposted Asakawa’s statement, warning that predatory behavior by photographers has become a systemic issue.
“Unfortunately, this kind of victimization occurs regularly in studio portrait photography,” Tachikawa pointed out. “Voyeurism is a crime. And this is an era where crimes are uncovered. In order to protect and nurture an environment where we can shoot safely, we must never forgive such acts.”
Tachikawa urged both models and photographers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior to protect the safety of the community.
