TOCHIGI (TR) — Police here have arrested a 37-year-old high school lecturer for allegedly using hidden cameras to secretly film a female student changing her clothes.
The crime has exposed the failure of recent measures to prevent the taking of tosatsu (voyeur) footage in the prefecture, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 24).
Ryosuke Kobayashi, a lecturer at a prefectural high school residing in Tochigi City, is accused of planting a small camera inside the storage compartment of the female student’s desk between April 7 and April 16.
Upon questioning, Kobayashi fully admitted to the allegations. The suspect said, “I did it to satisfy my sexual desires.”
The investigation quickly revealed a wider scope of voyeurism. Officers discovered several similar commercially available cameras planted in the school’s female restrooms.
Additional cameras were found at Kobayashi’s residence, and seized recording media contained illicit footage of multiple women.
According to the Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education, there had been no previous issues regarding Kobayashi’s work attitude. The board has since directed the school to provide mental health support for affected students and faculty members.
Voyeurism scandals
The arrest has sent shockwaves through the local education sector. Last year, two teachers from a prefectural and a private high school were convicted in back-to-back voyeurism scandals. In response, the board implemented strict anti-voyeurism guidelines in December, which mandated monthly inspections of school premises.
However, a sweep conducted at Kobayashi’s school in March failed to detect any hidden devices.
Chihiro Nakamura, the Prefectural Superintendent of Education, called the latest arrest a matter of “bitterest regret,” promising strict disciplinary action and an urgent review of crisis management among educators.
