Context:

Japanese police have arrested two primary school teachers for taking and sharing indecent images of young girls in a chat group with other teachers. The two men, aged 42 and 37, from Nagoya and Yokohama respectively, admitted to capturing and distributing photos and videos of girls under 13 years old. The chat group included 10 teachers and was discovered after one of the teachers was arrested for another offense involving a minor. The images shared in the group featured upskirt photos, clips of girls changing, and 'deepfakes' created from headshots, some of which appeared to have been taken in schools. This incident comes after Japan reformed its sex crime laws in 2023, which included a ban on filming children in a sexual manner and increased penalties for offenders.

Dive Deeper:

• Two primary school teachers in Japan have been detained for taking and distributing indecent photos of young girls in a chat group with other educators, admitting to photographing girls below 13 years old.

• The chat group, comprising 10 primary and junior high school teachers, was discovered following the arrest of one teacher for a separate incident involving inappropriate behavior towards a minor.

• The shared materials included upskirt photos, videos of girls changing, and manipulated images ('deepfakes') created from girls' headshots, with some images possibly being taken within school premises.

• Japan's recent reforms to sex crime laws, enacted in May 2023, criminalize filming children in a sexual manner without justifiable reason, with punishments of up to three years in prison or fines up to 3 million yen.

• The legal changes also expanded the definition of rape and raised the age of consent from 13 to 16, reflecting broader efforts to strengthen protections against sexual offenses.