There are stories that remind us just how strange—and disturbing—the underbelly of everyday life can be, especially when it comes to institutions built on trust. Case in point: the recent revelation of Japanese schoolteachers caught in an upskirt photo-sharing scandal that’s unsettling, oddly bureaucratic, and all-too-real.
The “Professional” Group Chat
Japanese authorities have arrested Yuji Moriyama, 42, a teacher at Kosaka Elementary in Nagoya, and Fumiya Kosemura, 37, who taught at Hongodai Elementary in Yokohama, for taking and distributing indecent images of young girls—some under 13—according to police accounts cited by The Japan Times. Investigators believe the duo participated in a private group chat, administered by Moriyama and comprising nearly ten teachers from various primary and junior high schools. The scale of the activity was far from casual: police found about 70 files had circulated among the members, capturing everything from upskirt photos to videos surreptitiously recorded as girls changed clothes.
The plot thickened when authorities—while investigating a separate incident involving another schoolteacher—stumbled upon this digital faculty lounge. This teacher, in his thirties, was arrested in March for reportedly “depositing bodily fluids” on a schoolgirl’s backpack, a detail noted in BBC News. A forensic scan of his phone led officers to the educators’ chat group, where the traded files included deepfakes fabricated from student headshots. Even the most detail-oriented archivist might struggle to process this trove.
Law Reform Meets Hidden Habits
Earlier in the report by The Japan Times, it’s mentioned that both Moriyama and Kosemura have admitted to the actions, which authorities say occurred in September 2024 and January 2025, respectively—Moriyama in Aichi Prefecture, Kosemura in Kanagawa. These were not impulsive acts but apparently parts of a grimly ritualized routine. The outlet also notes that, behind their aliases, group members sometimes discussed school events (“closing ceremony is held today,” one posted), a mundane backdrop to what police allege was a hobby of photo and video voyeurism.
Against this backdrop, Japan’s recent sex crime law reforms feel pointed. BBC News reports that it was only with a 2023 legal overhaul that the country specifically banned upskirt photography and surreptitious filming of sexual acts; these changes raised the age of consent to 16 and hardened penalties for indecent image creation. Photographs or filming of children in a sexual manner, “without justifiable reason,” became punishable by up to three years in prison or a hefty fine—hard to ignore even on a metropolitan teacher’s salary.
From Staff Room to Squad Room
Additional investigation details, reported by The Straits Times, revealed the chat group’s inner workings. Police in Aichi Prefecture found the group likely consisted solely of schoolteachers, their identities concealed by pseudonyms. Analysis of confiscated smartphones exposed the members’ unsettling camaraderie: they praised one another’s content (“this is so good”; “I can’t help staring at them”), blending criminality with the sort of banter you’d hope was reserved for cricket strategies or shared complaints about the copy machine.
Through the specifics relayed in The Straits Times, it becomes clear the group’s communications may have been intended to avoid detection—school names were rarely mentioned, and posts stuck to generic school-life references. Still, police could tie the group’s formation and purpose together based on digital forensic trails and group member admissions.
The Unsettling Implications of Everyday Escapism
Stepping back, the most jarring aspect of this scandal remains its foundation in the ordinary: teachers integrating illegal voyeurism into the rhythms of staff chats, swapping comments like seasoned hobbyists while ensuring their extracurriculars stayed hidden behind virtual aliases. Should we be surprised at how digital group chats—designed to coordinate book fairs or field trips—can so easily become vessels for secret worlds completely at odds with society’s trust?
BBC News observes that these events unfold in a country balancing its high-tech reputation with surprisingly recent reforms in social policy. If school is meant to be the one institution where boundaries are most carefully observed, how do we process breaches so egregious—and so mundanely systemized? For all the background checks, committee meetings, and professional development PowerPoints, this case suggests the shadows can grow thickest in the most expected corners—sometimes, as it turns out, just a click away in the staff room group chat.
