Secret Photographing, Filming by Teachers: Outrageous Betrayal of Children Is an Abomination

Editorial

16:45 JST, June 29, 2025

For children, teachers are probably the adults closest to them in addition to their parents. The shock children feel at being betrayed by someone they trust is immeasurable. The entire situation must be clarified, and every possible effort should be made to prevent similar incidents.

Two municipal elementary school teachers — one in Nagoya and another in Yokohama — were arrested for allegedly sharing indecent images and videos, including those of girls’ underwear, in a social media chat group that was composed mainly of teachers. It is believed that nearly 10 schoolteachers may have participated in the group.

About 70 images and videos were shared in the chat group, including some showing children changing clothes and those taken under skirts. The photos and videos of children changing are believed to have been taken in classrooms. What appear to be “sexual deepfakes” were also found, created by combining girls’ faces with images of different people’s nude bodies.

Chat records reportedly show members commenting on each other’s posts with messages such as “This is good.” Such extremely reprehensible acts are stunning. This incident has also severely damaged public trust in many hardworking teachers, so the responsibility is grave. All those involved must be strictly punished.

One of the arrested men is a senior teacher who assisted the principal and vice principal and was responsible for taking photos on field trips for the school’s records. This teacher is believed to have managed the chat group, using a highly confidential social media platform.

How were nearly 10 teachers working at different locations brought together for this chat group? It is hoped that police will clarify this situation.

There have been repeated incidents in the past in which educators, such as schoolteachers and cram school instructors, have committed indecent acts against children. In response, the government decided to introduce a system to verify the criminal history of people whose work brings them in contact with children. It is preparing for the relevant law to take effect by December next year.

It is important to utilize this system appropriately to prevent problematic teachers and others from coming into contact with children again. However, the system cannot prevent perpetrators from committing their first offenses. It is also said to be difficult to discern prospective teachers’ sexual preferences and other traits during job interviews.

More cram schools have installed security cameras. In addition to strengthening training for teachers, instructors and other relevant persons, a system should be established to enable the prompt reporting of suspicious behavior toward children.

In addition to the mass retirement of a generation of experienced teachers, people are shying away from the harsh working environment of elementary schools, causing a severe shortage of teachers. At the peak, there were more than 12 times the number of applicants than available positions, but that ratio dropped to 2.2 times for employment in the 2024 school year.

This situation has raised concerns about a decline in the quality of teachers. To prevent unqualified teachers from being hired, it is crucial to increase the number of aspiring teachers by improving working conditions and promoting work-style reform.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 29, 2025)