TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Friday announced the dismissal of a 52-year-old sergeant from the Ayase Police Station for possessing images of 20 female corpses handled during autopsies, reports Jiji Press (Feb. 27).
According to police, the sergeant, who worked in the Police Affairs Division, used his smartphone to take photos in the morgue at the police stations where he previously worked. He explained that he did so “to satisfy his sexual desires.”
From around 2009 to 2022, the sergeant worked as a forensic investigator at the Akabane, Joto, and Fuchu police stations. While there, he photographed female bodies he handled during forensic activities and obtained the image data.
Some of the photos show the bodies naked. It has not been confirmed whether the data was leaked to other parties. At least 730 pieces of work-related image data, including those of bodies, are said to have been possessed.
The sergeant was arrested by Saitama Prefectural Police in September last year on suspicion of violating the Act on Punishment of Intimate Photography for secretly taking photos up a woman’s skirt at a station in Saitama Prefecture. The possession of the images of the female corpses was subsequently discovered.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Counselor Junichiro Suga commented, “This has hurt the dignity of the deceased. We offer our deepest apologies.”
