The Aichi prefectural police headquarters. - Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun file
TOKYO: A male teacher arrested on suspicion of secretly taking indecent photos of girls and sharing them in a group chat on social media reportedly told police he had used a school camera, it has been learned.
The police confiscated his computer and the camera, which he had taken home from the school, to investigate photos related to the case.
The suspect is Yuji Moriyama, a teacher at an elementary school in Nagoya. The police arrested him on suspicion of violating a law against photographing sexual postures.
According to a senior official of the prefectural police, Moriyama told police that he had secretly taken photos with a school camera and created the group chat.
Moriyama had been in charge of making the school newsletter, which is published about once a month to report to parents on how their children are doing at school, since he was transferred to the school in 2023, according to the local board of education and others.
As part of this responsibility, he was allowed to freely take photos of students in various settings, including in the classrooms, during recess and swimming classes.
At the school, photos must be taken using a school camera and the data must be stored on computers at school.
In the wake of the incident, the board will consider implementing restrictions on the use of cameras at the school. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
