Japan Introduces First Law to Ban Upskirting and Photo Voyeurism

VIVA – Government of Japan introduces first law to ban the taking of sexually exploitative photos or videos of others without consent. The law against "photo voyeurism" will prohibit acts such as upskirting and secretly recording sexual acts.

Until today, such criminal cases had to be prosecuted under local prefectural laws, which greatly vary in scope.

As information, voyeurism is a sex disorder that causes the sufferer to gain sexual pleasure by looking or peeping at their victim.

The bill is part of a broader overhaul of Japan's laws on sex crimes, which will also expand the definition of rape. It will also explicitly prohibits the taking, distribution and or possessing of photographs of a someone's genitals without their consent.

The law also criminalizes the act of taking photographs of people being manipulated without consent into sexual positions. Specifically, the bill bans the filming of children in a sexual manner without justifiable reason.

Violators will face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to US$22,000.

The reform is expected to be passed in June this year. This law comes after a growing public outcry for stronger laws criminalizing acts facilitated by mobile phone photography.

In 2021, Japanese police made more than 5,000 arrests for photography. This is a record number and about three times the number of cases in 2010.

About seven in 10 flight attendants in Japan also reported having their photos were secretly taken, according to a survey by the national aviation workers' union published in March.

In addition, most cell phone manufacturers in Japan have installed audible shutter sounds on their mobile devices, to prevent secret filming.