19-Year-Old Allegedly Used Intimidation to Extort Man Who Leaked Explicit Video

“I heard you raped her.”

The man, whose neck, the backs of both hands, and even his fingers were covered in tattoos, showed little reaction as he faced the cameras of the assembled media, maintaining an indifferent expression throughout.

On June 12, a 34-year-old man was referred to prosecutors after being arrested for allegedly extorting ¥50,000 from a man in his 20s at a bar in Hachioji, Tokyo.

“Those arrested were Yuya Kamiya (34), Hyoga Takamichi (28), both unemployed and living in Tokyo, along with two 19-year-old women.

The incident occurred in June 2024. The victim, referred to as Mr. A, had filmed himself having sex with one of the women who was later arrested. After the woman discovered that the video had been circulated, she consulted Kamiya and the others, who then allegedly decided to extort Mr. A.

They summoned Mr. A to a bar in Hachioji and accused him, saying, ‘I heard you raped her. The going rate for a rape settlement is apparently ¥4 million, but we’ll settle for ¥2 million.’ They are suspected of intimidating him into handing over ¥50,000 as an initial payment,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s metro desk.

Following reports of the case, social media was flooded with comments such as, “This victim (Mr. A) is also a perpetrator who secretly filmed and distributed the video online,” and “The man who recorded and circulated the video (Mr. A) may actually be the more malicious one. They chose the wrong way to retaliate.” There were nearly as many posts condemning Mr. A as there were denouncing the suspects’ alleged crimes. Crime journalist Taihei Ogawa commented:

“Kamiya and the others allegedly demanded settlement money after telling Mr. A, ‘I heard you raped the 19-year-old woman.’ However, it remains unclear whether the sexual encounter itself was non-consensual or consensual. Based on the reporting, the article describes it as a false accusation, suggesting that the sexual act itself was likely consensual.

That said, if the 19-year-old woman’s sexual video was truly distributed online without her consent, the proper course of action would have been to report it to the police. Had she done so, Mr. A could have been arrested, and the 19-year-old woman would not have become a criminal suspect. It’s obvious that the woman’s side may also have intended to obtain money under the guise of damages or a settlement, but even so, they should have negotiated through a lawyer or filed a police report and pursued a civil lawsuit. Then none of this would have happened.”

He also offered the following warning:

“Since social media became widespread among young people, so-called ‘revenge porn’ has repeatedly become a major issue. I can’t say definitively that this case falls into that category, but casually recording sexual activity can lead to irreversible consequences. I hope this incident serves as a warning to young people.”

During police questioning, Kamiya has remained silent. The other three suspects, including the 19-year-old woman, have denied the allegations.