Expert warns of growing sextortion problem in Japan

TOKYO — Sextortion, which involves threats to distribute sexual images or videos via social media, is on the rise in Japan. It is often accompanied by demands for money or goods. The Mainichi Shimbun spoke to sources close to the investigation and others to learn more about how these incidents play out.

It started with an innocent Instagram post. One day in June 2023, the then 15-year-old high school student wrote, “Anyone who’s free, let’s talk.” After a while, an unknown account that appeared to belong to a woman responded. As the two exchanged messages, the content became sexual. That August, the student sent a video he had recorded of himself performing a sexual act, reportedly without thinking too deeply about it.

“Why did you block me?”

Once the video was sent, the other person’s attitude changed completely. “This is a crime,” they insisted, and they presented themselves as a man. “I will publicize this online or at your school. Show me more,” the person would whine. Fearful that the video would be shared on the Internet, the student believed he had no choice but to comply.

The man’s demands became increasingly high. The student was asked to show his genitals during a video call. The student could no longer tolerate it and blocked the man. He thought their communication was over.

About two months after the first video was sent, a call came to his high school. “My kid forgot something, give him the phone,” the caller said. The student answered, expecting it to be his father. But the voice he heard was that of the man from the video call: “Why did you block me?”

The student was terrified and explained to the police what had happened up to that point. In July, Hyogo Prefectural Police arrested a man on suspicion of extortion.

The man is believed to have located the student’s school based on information the boy had posted on social media. The man is said to have admitted to the allegations and said he asked the student to share the videos and images, but denies making any threats.

The Kobe Prefectural Prosecutor’s Office dropped the case against the man on August 2. The office did not explain why, but an investigative source explained: “It was difficult to prove the case because the student had erased objective evidence, such as the communication with the man and the actual video footage.”

Victims don’t have to worry alone

“It is common for victims to delete footage of interactions and evidence because they don’t want to keep bad memories,” said Kazuna Kanajiri, president of the Tokyo-based nonprofit PAPS, which supports victims of sexual exploitation and cyber sexual violence.

Between January and April of this year, PAPS responded to 241 sextortion-related inquiries, an increase of 90 from the same period last year. There appears to be a trend for cases to occur during the summer break, as high school and middle school students have more opportunities to use their smartphones.

In an effort to prevent child sexual abuse via social media, the revised Criminal Code, which came into force in July 2023, included new provisions that criminalize the solicitation of explicit images of minors under the age of 16. According to the National Police Agency, only eight cases had been discovered nationwide by the end of 2023, as the revised law had just come into force.

On this situation, Kanajiri said: “It is still not widely known that just demanding is a crime.” She explained that more than half of the people seeking counselling at PAPS are men and said: “In the case of men, they may not even be aware that they have been sexually abused. If you are a victim, do not keep it to yourself, but rely on the police and support groups.”

(Japanese original by Yuria Kiyama, Kobe Bureau)