Pedophile teacher scourge fuels calls for school cameras

Asahi Shimbun

2 days ago

Authorities are considering installing security cameras in schools following a string of arrests of teachers suspected of committing obscene acts against children and revelations of an online pedophile ring of educators.
But the education ministry doesn't want to rush matters because of concerns over privacy.
'It is conceivable that (security cameras) could be used in limited situations where it is difficult for more than one person to see,' education minister Toshiko Abe said at a news conference on July 1.
She said the installation 'needs to be done with the understanding of parents, students and others.'
Abe said the cameras should be strategically placed because most places in a classroom can be seen by multiple people. The areas out of view represent the potential problem spots.
The topic of cameras also came up at a meeting on June 30 regarding the law to prevent sexual violence against children.
During the meeting, an official of the Children and Families Agency expressed a positive attitude toward the installation of security cameras in schools, saying there are some advantages to such a plan.
But an education ministry official indicated that too many cameras could violate the privacy of school staff and students.
'It is not our position that (cameras) should be uniformly installed in all locations,' the official said.
The education ministry on July 1 issued a letter to all leaders of education boards nationwide, urging them to ensure that teachers understand that sexual violence against children can result in dismissal, and that 'consent by children' is not a valid excuse or defense.
To prevent voyeurism, the letter urged school officials to inspect classrooms, restrooms and locker rooms for hidden cameras, keep the classrooms tidy, and prohibit teachers from taking school-camera images outside of school property.
The ministry will soon hold an online meeting with the heads of prefectural education boards and others to explain the countermeasures.
PEDOPHILE GROUP
Aichi prefectural police on June 24 arrested two elementary school teachers on suspicion of taking sneak photos and videos of girls' underwear.
The suspects shared the images with an online group of teachers.
One suspect, a 42-year-old teacher at a public elementary school in Nagoya, created and managed the chat group on a highly confidential social networking site.
The group had nearly 10 members, including the two suspects, and all are believed to be teachers.
Police found about 70 images and videos shared on the chat, including data that appeared to have been taken during school field trips.
The members also complimented each other on their images, saying things like, 'It's nice.'
The Nagoya teacher has told investigators he took pictures of the girl with the school's digital camera, according to sources.
Police have seized a school camera from the man's home.
The Nagoya school where the man works said he is a teacher who assists the principal and vice principal. The suspect was also in charge of producing the school newsletter, which informs parents of school activities.
He was in a position to freely film classes and other school activities, the school said.
The existence of the online group came to light when one of its members, another teacher at a Nagoya city elementary school, was arrested in March on suspicion of pouring bodily fluids on the backpack of a 15-year-old girl at a train station in the city.
The man was later indicted on charges of non-consensual indecency and attempted indecency with three children, according to sources.
According to indictments, the man mixed bodily fluids into school lunches at an elementary school and stuck the fluids on the children's musical instruments.
Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa apologized at a news conference on June 30.
'I am deeply sorry for the betrayal of trust of all the children,' he said. 'I have instructed all departments to investigate the matter as if there were a third (suspect).'
The mayor also announced a plan to establish a third-party committee of lawyers to look into the matter by the end of July.
MORE ARRESTS
On June 30, Hiroshima prefectural police arrested a 38-year-old teacher at an elementary school on suspicion of attempted indecent assault and other offenses against a child.
According to police, at around 9 a.m. on June 27, the teacher told a girl under 10 years old to wait for him and made her sit on a teacher's chair in a classroom. He covered her eyes with his hands and attempted to commit an indecent act with the lower half of his body exposed.
The classroom was unoccupied at the time, and the attempt stopped when the child opened her eyes, police said.
Fukuoka prefectural police on June 30 arrested a 34-year-old teacher at a prefectural high school on suspicion of photographing female students changing their clothes at the school.
At around 7:20 p.m. on June 11, the teacher allegedly set up a smartphone in a room on the school grounds and took videos of several female students in their underwear as they changed after a club activity.
His actions were discovered when a student noticed the smartphone and consulted the school through her parents, police said.
On July 2, Saitama prefectural police arrested a 48-year-old teacher at a public elementary school in Tokorozawa on suspicion of breaking into a classroom of the school. Police believe the teacher planned to secretly film girls as they changed inside that room for a pool class on the afternoon of July 1.
At around 3:45 p.m. that day, another teacher found a pencil box with a hole in it on a shelf in the classroom. A smartphone was inside.
The teacher checked the contents of the smartphone and found videos of children. The principal reported the incident to police.
(This article was compiled from reports written by Amane Shimazaki, Yoshika Uematsu, Toshinari Takahashi, Akimitsu Ishigaki, Hidemasa Onishi, Haruka Kobayashi, Kiriko Nemoto, and Yota Kosaki.)