Japan Jails Ex-Teacher 2 Years in Teachers’ Voyeurism Ring

A Japanese court has sentenced a former teacher to two years in prison for secretly filming and sharing indecent images of young female students via social media, marking the first custodial term in a notorious voyeurism scandal involving educators.

The Nagoya District Court imposed the penalty on 28-year-old Katsuya Ishikawa, arrested in September while teaching at a Hayama junior high school in Kanagawa Prefecture. Between July and December 2024, he captured photos and videos of three elementary school girls’ underwear at his workplace, plus an upskirt image of a 14-year-old on a Kamakura escalator.

Judge Kyoko Irie highlighted Ishikawa’s sharing of victims’ faces in the group chat, heightening risks of broader circulation and harm. With only one of four victims compensated and families demanding severe punishment, the court deemed prison necessary; victims’ parents noted during March 26 closing arguments their ongoing fear over potential image spread.

Ishikawa is one of seven indicted teachers from Tokyo and four prefectures; two others earlier received three-year suspended sentences from the same court. The case, exposed last year, has spotlighted child safety failures in schools.