Overview
- Tokyo police on Feb. 5 arrested elementary school teacher Tomohiro Maekawa, 33, on suspicion of recording sexual acts with a 17-year-old he met via social media at a Kanazawa hotel in 2025; he admitted the conduct.
- A 33-year-old man, Shuichi Akasaki, was arrested on Feb. 5 for allegedly posing online as a supporter of single mothers to induce a woman to film and send nude videos of her daughters; the case surfaced after the older girl sought help at school.
- Police on Feb. 4 arrested childcare worker Masaaki Kimura, 40, over an alleged indecent act against a primary-school boy during a 2024 school trip; he denies the charge as investigators review dozens of related complaints.
- Authorities used a representative interview procedure to limit repeated questioning of children, reflecting broader adoption of child‑sensitive methods that can serve as courtroom evidence.
- In a related teachers’ group investigation, an Okayama elementary teacher was re-arrested on Feb. 3 over bodily fluids placed on a girl’s belongings, with videos on a suspect’s phone pointing to more than 70 victims; Fukuoka police separately issued fresh safety alerts about suspicious incidents involving children.