“It’s No Worse Than an Ordinary Crime”: The “Peeping Tom Hunter” Who Extorted Money Through a Staged Scam Gives His “Excuse” in Court

“The person taking the secret photos is the one at fault, so I’m not in the wrong.”

Accused of extorting cash from a man by posing as plainclothes security guards and asking him, “You were taking pictures of that high school girl, weren’t you?” —defendants Ryu Aida (36 at the time of arrest),Takayasu Sugimoto (34; age at arrest), and Yuji Nonaka (35; age at arrest) were held at the Tokyo District Court on June 26.

“For several years now, ‘upskirt hunters’—YouTubers who make private arrests to catch upskirt photographers—have been a hot topic.The three defendants used the same tactics as these ‘peeping tom hunters’ to extort money from the perpetrator. In ’25, at a commercial facility in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, defendants Sugimoto and Nonaka—posing as plainclothes security guards—approached a man and said, ‘You took pictures of a high school girl, didn’t you?’ before dragging him around to a convenience store and a coffee shop.“At that point, defendant Aida—who claimed to be the father of a high school girl—appeared, and the three staged a little charade, demanding 1.5 million yen as a settlement. They extorted 1.5 million yen from the man,” said a reporter from the social affairs section of a national newspaper.

In the courtroom, the three men, dressed in suits, sat at equal intervals. The burly man in a tight-fitting suit that didn’t quite fit was Defendant Aida. During the defendants’ questioning held that day, Defendant Aida explained the motive behind the crime and the three men’s “twisted connection.”

When asked by his defense attorney about the motive for the crime,

“About 13 or 14 years ago, I happened to catch a peeping tom. When I tried to take him to the police, he said, ‘I’ll pay you, so please let me off.’ Accepting that money was what set this off,”

he revealed. Regarding his state of mind at the time,

“The person taking the secret photos is the one at fault, so I’m not in the wrong. I thought [my actions] weren’t as bad as ordinary crimes,”

. However, following his arrest,

“While the person taking the secret photos is at fault, I’m even worse for taking advantage of the situation. I think it was a despicable act,”

, and expressed remorse. Defendant Aida had been arrested previously for a similar crime, making this his second arrest. Regarding his reason for committing the crime again, he cited “financial hardship.”

According to Aida, he had once run a business, but it failed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also claimed to have fallen victim to an investment scam involving 20 million yen. Around that time, he met Sugimoto while frequenting an illegal poker den, and Sugimoto approached him asking , “Is there anything out there?” to discuss money-making opportunities. Aida told Sugimoto,

“I told him there was something like this [the ‘hidden camera hunter’ scheme]. I said, ‘If something comes up, maybe the two of us could do it together,’”

However, he immediately added, “I don’t recall being the one who suggested it, ” emphasizing that he was not the ringleader.

“I don’t really care if I get another criminal record.”

Later, defendant Nonaka, a fellow poker club member, joined them, and the three began committing crimes together. Regarding the 1.5 million yen they extorted, defendant Aida reportedly took 300,000 yen, while the remainder was split between defendants Sugimoto and Nonaka. As for his share being smaller than theirs,

“I just thought my role was to provide support, so I never felt dissatisfied,”

he replied. Next, the prosecution asked questions.

Defendant Aida had previously been convicted in 2014 for a crime committed using a similar method. When the prosecution asked, “Given your prior conviction, didn’t you ever think about stopping?” Defendant Aida replied , “I didn’t really worry about adding to my criminal record, ” and regarding his own criminal tendencies,

“I realized there is a cognitive distortion in my decision-making. That distortion stems from anxiety and dissatisfaction with money,”

. At the conclusion of the hearing, the prosecution condemned the crimes as “despicable and cunning” and sought a three-year prison sentence for all three defendants. When the presiding judge asked the three if they had any final remarks, Defendant Nonaka said,

“I am filled with remorse for the victims. I swear I will never do this again, and I will work hard to compensate the victims,”

Defendant Sugimoto also expressed similar remorse.

Defendant Aida, who spoke last, said,

“I offer my heartfelt apologies to the victims. I will never commit a crime again. If my family gives me another chance, I will do my best to become the breadwinner of the family,”

expressing remorse and offering an apology. The verdict will be handed down on July 9—