<figure id="attachment_474222" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-474222" style="width: 909px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="06625ec6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/07/c1a222578a611f09ca1107f59a0cf40f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-474222" class="wp-caption-text">The first trial was held for an elementary school teacher charged with crimes including “property damage”—such as secretly filming and rubbing his genitals against the belongings of young girls</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> “He secretly filmed students ranging from elementary schoolers to high schoolers.”</span></h3>
<p> 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.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “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.’”</span></p>
<p> 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.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> “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.’</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> 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.</span></p>
<p> 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.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> “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.)</span></p>
<p> 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.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The defendant Wakamatsu, as seen in court,"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">&#8220;Mainly rubbing his lower body against her&#8221;</span></h3>
<p> 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.</p>
<p> 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.</p>
<p> However, the crimes revealed in the indictment and opening statements were utterly despicable.</p>
<p> 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 <span class="strongInContent">, “There is no mistake.”</span> He claimed he had filmed her so he could watch the footage later.</p>
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<p> The prosecutor described the circumstances leading to the discovery of Defendant Wakamatsu’s crime as follows:</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “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.”</span></p>
<p> Furthermore, according to the written statement read aloud by the prosecutor, Defendant Wakamatsu reportedly made the following statement during questioning:</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “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.”</span></p>
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<p> During an interview with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Mr. A’s father reportedly said <span class="strongInContent">, “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.”</span></p>
<p> 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.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Defendant Wakamatsu continues walking, revealing the top of his head"></div>
<figure id="attachment_474324" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-474324" style="width: 2099px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="00376a4e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/07/669aa6656978c55d9d456d71cc4c4d11.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-474324" class="wp-caption-text">Defendant Wakamatsu, who was referred for prosecution by the Ikegami Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on June 17, was walking with his head bowed so low that the top of his head was visible from the front.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_474171" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-474171" style="width: 1153px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="77f8a7ad"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/07/29817e1cba34849ab2c40b8d64f3c543.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-474171" class="wp-caption-text"> In addition to voyeurism, he had repeatedly committed “property damage” by rubbing his lower body against schoolgirls’ belongings</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_474172" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-474172" style="width: 1153px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="895e1137"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/07/d952630dff198cc528ec4b5327de5668.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-474172" class="wp-caption-text"> He remained in this state until he got into his car.</figcaption></figure>


 Ryo Nakahira

 Shinji Hasuo

 On June 24, the first hearing was held at the Tokyo District Court for an elementary school teacher charged with crimes including taking sexually explicit photos of female students. What did the man—who, in addition to voyeurism, repeatedly rubbed his genitals against the girls’ belongings—say in court?

&#8220;I don&#8217;t remember which one it was&#8221;—an elementary school teacher rubbed his lower body against a girl&#8217;s gym clothes, water bottle, and swimsuit

“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

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