“I don’t remember which one it was”—an elementary school teacher rubbed his lower body against a girl’s gym clothes, water bottle, and swimsuit

“He secretly filmed students ranging from elementary schoolers to high schoolers.”

On June 24, the first hearing was held at the Tokyo District Court for Kojiro Wakamatsu (40), a Tokyo elementary school teacher charged with crimes including photographing a young girl, A (then 8 years old), in a sexual pose.

“The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested defendant Wakamatsu on suspicion of photographing sexual poses by April 20, ’26. He was suspected of using his smartphone to film under the skirt of a girl, identified as A, while she was mopping the classroom floor in June ’25.Wakamatsu reportedly stated, ‘For about 17 years, since I became a teacher, I have been secretly filming students ranging from elementary schoolers to high schoolers,’ and ‘Before becoming a teacher, adult women were my sexual objects, but after becoming an elementary school teacher, I began to develop feelings for the children.’”

After his arrest, authorities reportedly found more than 10,000 videos featuring young girls on Wakamatsu’s confiscated tablet. Analysis of these videos revealed a series of additional offenses.

“By May 13, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had re-arrested him on suspicion of property damage, alleging that in October of ’25, he rubbed his genitals against the mouthpiece of a water bottle that Ms. A had left behind in the classroom, rendering it unusable.Wakamatsu reportedly explained that he had feelings for Ms. A and admitted to the crime, stating, ‘Although I felt some hesitation, I couldn’t control my excitement.’

Furthermore, on June 3, he was re-arrested for a second time on suspicion of property damage for rubbing his genitals against the swimsuit of a different girl in July ’24. Defendant Wakamatsu stated, ‘There have been so many incidents that I can’t remember which is which,’” said a reporter from the crime desk of a national newspaper.

Furthermore, on June 15, the defendant, Wakamatsu, was arrested yet again on suspicion of property damage involving yet another young girl. This marks his fourth arrest.

“He is suspected of taking a girl’s (then 8 years old) gym uniform from a classroom at the elementary school where he worked and rendering it unusable by rubbing his lower body against it at home.After filming the act on his smartphone, the defendant returned the gym uniform to its original place without washing it. During questioning, he reportedly admitted to the charges, saying, ‘My memory is a bit fuzzy, but if there’s a video, I suppose I did it’” (ibid.)

When he was transferred to prosecutors on June 17, he kept his face down and leaned forward, continuing to walk with the top of his head facing us until he got into the car, ensuring his face remained completely hidden.

“Mainly rubbing his lower body against her”

In previously reported footage of the suspect being taken into custody, Defendant Wakamatsu stood out for his erratic behavior, such as bending at the waist and shaking his head violently from side to side, or suddenly pursing his lips.

In court, however, he sat in the defendant’s chair without displaying any such strange behavior. His face, with its large, round eyes, had a charming appearance, and he even gave the impression that he might have been a popular teacher in elementary school.

However, the crimes revealed in the indictment and opening statements were utterly despicable.

On this day, he was charged with the crime of photographing sexual poses, specifically for filming under Ms. A’s skirt with his smartphone from behind while she was mopping the classroom floor; Defendant Wakamatsu admitted his guilt, stating , “There is no mistake.” He claimed he had filmed her so he could watch the footage later.

The prosecutor described the circumstances leading to the discovery of Defendant Wakamatsu’s crime as follows:

“On April 16, ’26, the Board of Education received a report from a parent of a child at the defendant’s school stating that the defendant had taken photos of their child using the smartphone he was using. When the principal and others questioned the defendant, they discovered videos of him filming a female student while she was cleaning the classroom, which led to the discovery of this case.”

Furthermore, according to the written statement read aloud by the prosecutor, Defendant Wakamatsu reportedly made the following statement during questioning:

“I began secretly filming at the elementary school around July ’09. However, rather than secretly filming, I primarily rubbed my lower body against the children’s gym uniforms and other clothing.”

During an interview with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Mr. A’s father reportedly said , “I can’t bring myself to tell my daughter that the teacher she was so fond of was doing something like this. I don’t want him to work with children ever again.”

Future court proceedings are likely to address crimes other than voyeurism. Why did he end up repeating such criminal acts? What will defendant Wakamatsu say during the upcoming trial? The trial has only just begun.

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