A Japanese man is facing two years in prison for secretly filming more than 1,000 women at a hot spring through a homemade rock camera made from clay and plastic.
The 31-year-old man, who has not been identified other than he is from the Fukushima prefecture, was arrested earlier this year after the camera was found by a woman at a hot spring in the Yamagata prefecture, the South China Morning Post reports. The woman noticed the rock because the front lens was giving off a reflection.
The woman reported what she found and police waited for the man to return to collect and arrest him.
According to the indictment as described by NewsDig in Japan, the defendant was unemployed and hid in the mountains near the hot spring bathing facility.
During his court appearance this month, the man admitted to the crimes and explained them in detail.
He would disguise himself as a hiker so as not to arouse suspicion and, once he was able to see into the hot springs, covered himself with a camouflage net, similar to those used by hunters.
Not only did he admit to creating a spy camera meant to look like a rock out of plastic and clay, he also used a telephoto lens on a camera to photograph 44 people, including women in the hot springs and while changing clothes.
The man admitted to using the rock camera to film more than 1,000 women, which the court said was a “staggering” number. As a result, the prosecution is seeking a two-year prison sentence as his crimes were “planned, habitual and malicious” and that there was “a high possibility of him re-offending.”
The man’s lawyers are asking for the sentence to be reduced as he showed a “remorseful attitude” through his admission of guilt and by bringing implicating evidence of his crimes to his court appearance.
Illicit voyeur photography, and that specific to hot springs, is an ongoing problem in Japan. Japanese media seems to believe that the two-year sentence is light considering the huge number of women whose privacy he violated. The verdict, including his sentence, will be made on September 17.
Image credits: Header photo made using assets licensed via Depositphotos. Rock camera photo by TV-U Yamagata.