A 59-year-old police lieutenant was arrested early Monday for violating a Kanagawa public nuisance ordinance, accused of taking pictures on his cell phone of a woman sitting across from him on a train on Sunday.
Shigeyuki Usui, head of the traffic section at the Misaki police station in Miura City, is accused of taking a picture of a 24-year-old woman’s legs as she sat across from him on the Keikyu line at about 6 p.m. on Sunday. The man sitting with the woman told police he noticed Usui’s cell phone camera flash and heard the camera function twice. He took Usui to station staff when the train stopped at Kanazawabunko station.
One photo of the woman’s legs was found stored on Usui’s cell phone, but he has denied the allegation, saying: “I pressed the wrong button on my phone. I didn’t mean to take a picture.” Usui also said he had been drinking at a friend’s house in Yokosuka City and was on his way home.
© News reports
58 Comments
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mindovermatter
This is getting ridiculous...
Did he put the camera up under her dress...?
There's no law against taking someone's photo.
You can step onto a train and snap pictures all day, unless your sticking the camera under someone's skirt or into some woman's bra...
Is it against the law in Japan to take someone's photo without their permission...?
Anyone..?
bushlover
For once I'm on the cop's side. What harm was done there? She should be arrested also for public indecency if he has to suffer a charge too. Don't want people to see your legs then cover them up.
neverknow2
You need people's permission to take their photo in Japan. I'm still looking for a published source on that.
SushiSake3
He admitted he had been drinking so it's OK and not a chargable offence.
Move along folks, nothing to see here.....
seesaw
I'll go back to sleep....
proxy
There are a million photos on flickr of people riding trains in Japan and 99% of them look like the subject was not asked.
Nessie
Does he get to keep the photo?
Nessie
I believe intrusive photograpy, like following someone around or photographing someone in a semi-private place like a hotel corridor, is illegal in some places. Japanese laws on this are not intuitive.
TheguyNextdoor
There goes the I was drinking defense.
shouganaika
mobile phones don't have a manner mode to quieten shutter sound specifically to stop pervs like this.
pathat
I credit the guy with the young woman for forcing this perv to go to the station manager's office.
bobcatfish
that's the trouble with vague all encompassing ordinances - just what is a public nusance? were her legs offensive?
fatloser
Stop Drunk Train Riding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only way to stop drunks from doing this is to make it illegal to ride the train while intoxicated. Cops should also have to wear a pin signifying their occupation-rank and place of work when not in uniform.
bushlover
I gawk at nice legs. Am I committing an offense? Sometimes I can even see panty. Am I guilty of anything? I like to see these things by chance. They brighten my day. No harm done. If they dress nicely I think they want to be appreciated. If I were to wear leather bottomless pants and some gay guys looked at me could I complain? This is not Tsukuji fish market. If they don't prod and take flash photography then what recourse do I have? Let them get their jollies as long as they don't post me on the net... well that's too late now... but you get my point.
timorborder
This sounds plausible (god forbid). Let's face it, how many technology illerate middle-age Japanese men do you know? At the same time, the "I had been drinking" defense raises a bit of a stink.....
smithinjapan
"I pressed the wrong button on my phone. I didn’t mean to take a picture.”
Sorry, friend, but in this day and age you would have to have had pushed the wrong button at least twice to snap off a picture. Once to initiate the camera function, the second, after a delay, to snap the pic, which if it were an accident would in all likelihood also be blurry and not focussed on the woman's legs. In other words, BULL$$IT!
Sarge
"I pressed the wrong button on my phone"
Ha ha ha ha ha!
I bet if instead of taking a photo of a woman's legs, he'd taken a photo of a guy's arms, there wouldn't be any trouble.
stipend
A copper doesn't know enough law to stand up for himself? Perv or not whatever light reaches the retina.. And what if he had been sketching?
Does he upload to a porn site or something? There must be more to it. I bet he was hanging upside down drooling on these poor people. Now that would be a nuisance!
sensei258
You guys are missing the point. Yadda yadda, police lieutenant, yadda yadda suspended sentence.
PaizuriSan
Japan: Teasing is OK! and the girls know it!
BBLeo
Will this top cop get promotion if he get suspended sentence? No wonder that crime is so high in Japan, if cops are playing around with cameras instead chasing criminals.
stipend
Lieutenant or not, perv or not, he hasn't done anything (that we know of). By leaving your home and entering public place it's accepted that you've given up some degree of personal privacy. Society wouldn't work any other way.
Under a woman's skirt is not a public place, nor is a bathroom stall (unless you open the door that is), nor a room in love hotel. You'd EXPECT complete privacy in these places. And there's the litmus test. This guy was on a train!
But not to defend him personally, I'm thinking about rest of society. Wake up!
hakujinsensei
This is just ridiculous... if you can see it, it is fair game to take a picture of it. Goes for the dumb ass school girls rolling their skirts so short their little cotton panties hang out. Freedom cuts both ways. If the guy didn't like the guy snapping pics of his girls legs, he should have told her dress in a gunny sack. She knew exactly what she was doing when she dressed, and she dressed in such a manner as to provoke people look at her legs. Is that wrong? Not at all, vanity is as old as the hills and a multi billion dollar industry. Been by the Channel booth lately? This selective abuse of process is nothing more than gyakusukuhara. What, can I sue JR, all the municipalities in Japan, and all the stores n banks that take my picture without my permission daily? Anybody here sign a waver lately when they left their house waiving their right to privacy for the hundreds of cameras we pose for daily? Would her boyfriend have tried to haul me into the station masters office if I said 'na- ne-chan, kirei ashii yana-' . I would have dropped the whiny little ass in his tracks had he tried to lay a hand on me. Cant believe the old guy let himself be cowtowed that way. Men, grow some oysters. Now everybody go home, nothing to see here, move along...
WMD
Yeah, crazy. Took a picture of her legs. Wow big deal, how unexciting. And Yes why did this cop allow himself to be taken to the station office?? I wouldn't allow anyone to take me anywhere. Would you??
nandakandamanda
The boyfriend didn't like what he saw, a drunk middle-aged man taking surreptitious shots of his g/f's legs. Possibly she was oblivious and not keeping her knees together. (We don't know how far up the legs he could see.)
There was a law to charge him with, "violating a Kanagawa public nuisance ordinance". The bloke turns out to be a senior police officer, and it appears as though he was also telling porkie pies. All good news fodder...
goldsounds
If the girls are showing the legs they shouldn't complain when people take photos of them! If he took a picture of her face, what would the problem be?
Nippon5
In another story All the employees of JR are being arrested for filming people on the train using security cameras with out the permission of the riders.
Just a way to waste bandwidth.
Those who rush up to slap down the photographer on an open internet forum just have no life and need something to write about to fill the void they call living.
Next Story.
NuckinFutz
This is national news? Jeez people! Get a friggin life! Kanagawa Prefecture is a public nuisance!
Blue_Tiger
How is this a crime, especially when Japanese women and girls (at an ever increasingly younger age) wear those short shorts, EVEN IN WINTER?
Sarge
Nuckin - Good one.
Sarge
Tiger - Today I saw a girl who couldn't be more than ten wearing short shorts and boots. If I were her father, she wouldn't be wearin' that.
seggahme
i think, it wasn't photo of her shoes. seems, he tried to make pantsushot.
realist
Just another perv on a Japanese train.
PaizuriSan
Verdict. NOT GUILTY!
BTW Blue Tiger, 100% agreed!Q
shouganaika
there is a difference between looking and taking a photo, you know this.
likeitis
Well, I have warned people about this slippery slope before, but no, no, the laws could not possibly get out of hand they said.
For those of you saying he is lying about hitting the wrong button, here is a thought: I have seen lots of people holding up their cell phones rather high and staring into it. What are they doing? I reckon half of them have initiated camera mode so that they can stare indirectly. That might be what he was doing, using the camera just to look. Then he hit "shoot". Ooops. Which button to shut down camera mode? Ooops! Its possible. Because if he had any brains he would have shut the flash off first. But yes, it is also possible he is just a lying moron. Not ruling that out.
smithinjapan
While I don't think this is nearly as bad as the loony politicians/cops/university professors with the mirrors on their shoes and what not, you still don't snap pics of a stranger's legs. Not the crime of the century, if a crime at all, but some of the potentially mysogynistic comments coming up on here today are a little scary.
And seriously, if this happened to your girlfriend or wife, or let's say your daughter, while you were sitting there, are you honestly going to tell me you would just look at the guy taking the picture and say, "Would you like me to ask her to pose her legs in different positions for you?" Or would you be a big tough guy like hakujinsensei and simply 'knock the wimp on his ass' before getting deported (after promising heretofore to dress up your girl in a gunny-sack)?
Shouganaika said it well enough: there's a big difference between looking and taking a picture.
Seriously, the people that are blaming the woman for this, and women in general, you have some issues.
NYC_Samurai
He should have just admiringly asked if he could snap the shot.
bushlover
Smith: taking a picture while morally may not be so nice but is it really a 'crime'? Get a life mate. You like to make mountains out of molehills. Too bad that there is only one more week for your favorite target. We'll miss your rabid posts on that molehill.
kokuryu
I say good job to the cops in Japan for arresting one of their own for breaking the law. Here in the US they just hide behind their badge and say they did nothing wrong, and days later the "official report" says they did nothing wrong - even if they shot someone in the back 12 times and killed them.
nimbus
If the guy who took the picture was someone like Brad Pitt, the woman would problably gave him her phone number as well.
hakujinsensei
smith: He did not touch her. He did not stalk her. He did nothing besides capture what was in his field of vision. Public domain. I would have nothing to say to someone taking a picture of myself or my wife or my daughters. They all dress fashionably but not whorish. Do I get angry when some guy hits on my wife? No, I congratulate her on being attractive enough to warrant the attention. Would I intervene if his behavior escalated and he touched her or followed her. Of course. There is a big difference between putting mirrors on your shoes or taking up-shots with a cell phone and snapping a nice smile or a set of yams. I suspect that she was like the myriad of senseless whores that sit on the train with their legs apart showing off their panties. If they are showing it off, then taking a shot for posterity is just fine in my book. jigojitoku.
nath
Kanagawa has a nuisance bit but it is not really law. I love the beach party seen here during the summer. So much action going on, and I have taken lots of pictures and work them up in photoshop. As I do not bother to get model releases, I change the photos so no one would ever be able to find them self. Well, I got stopped for shooting pictures of a rap band and young and old people dancing. I went to the cops about it and they just told me to ask permission. Band wanted the shots taken for promotion. The clown on the train should have just asked her. Chicks here love to pose in front of a camera. I am sure there were no people on that same car reading newspapers and magazines with cute nudes and other desirable babes. Ironic. Weird situation.
notimpressed
So was it not out of line when I got annoyed at people taking photos with professional camera equipment of me and my girl while in an onsen, which was vaguely visible from a lookout? It was in thier field of vision, but it was too far for details, lucky for them they had big lennses with which to zoom in on me and my girl, even luckier for them they were on the other side of the river where i couldnt throw a rock at thier camera or head.
Even if legs are not that big a deal, it is a problem in Japan, where sad pervs take pic of strangers to take home and beat the meat to. Its rude, offensive,and insensitive. If its of the general area/ scenery and someone happens to be in the shot thats one thing,unavaoidable, but there has to be a limit to whats ok. for example, taking specific pictures of a specific person or persons body parts.
I have had kids taking my photo with thier cellphone while on the train. How rude!! I could see them do it, and hear the camera noise go off, Im a guy, I was not wearing leather pants withthe butt cutt outt, they were taking pictures of my foreign face, and it was a nuisance, and an invasion of my privacy. Damn, Im not even famous.Just a person trying to get the train home.
In this case the limit was set by the guy sitting with the girl. Good on him. People who want to take a picture of random stranger legs/panties/face without permission, just to make thier little fantasy last longer, should try getting a life and taking pictures of that instead.
Dennis Bauer
He was just investigating suspicious activities ;)
shouganaika
I hope I get the chance to see you both together, tell her what smashing knockers she has and lean right in with my phone for a close up of them.
smithinjapan
bushlover: "Smith: taking a picture while morally may not be so nice but is it really a 'crime'? Get a life mate. You like to make mountains out of molehills."
I guess you didn't even bother to read my post, since in it I said, "Not the crime of the century, IF EVEN A CRIME AT ALL..." Evidently it's you who needs to get a life and stop popping prematurely, along with the need for getting some reading glasses and a bit of self-esteem. Oh, and lay off the coffee.
"Too bad that there is only one more week for your favorite target."
Since you brought him up, I just want you to be rest assured just because bush walks out the door does not mean conversation about him will stop. In fact, I bet soon after he's gone you and you're cronies can finally rest easy because it'll allow you to forget all about the disasters bush has wrought on you and you can pretend they're all Obama's fault.
smithinjapan
hakujinsensei: "I would have nothing to say to someone taking a picture of myself or my wife or my daughters. They all dress fashionably but not whorish. Do I get angry when some guy hits on my wife? No, I congratulate her on being attractive enough to warrant the attention."
Yeah, right... this from a guy who says he would "smash the wimp's face in" if someone got angry at you looking at his girlfriend's legs. Any kind of extreme reaction like that indicates you are imbalanced, and there's no way a person like that has the self-confidence enough to sit by and watch someone gawk at his wife, and ESPECIALLY at his little girls.
How about shouganai's comment: "I hope I get the chance to see you both together, tell her what smashing knockers she has and lean right in with my phone for a close up of them."
Would you simply compliment your wife on her body if shouganai did that? I mean, he didn't touch her, did he? He simply 'captured what was in his point of view'. Hahaha...
Get real, people. There's no way if the guy were doing something like this to the one you loved you would sit by and simply compliment her. If you did, I hope you get the dumping you deserve.
smithinjapan
NYC Samurai: "He should have just admiringly asked if he could snap the shot."
Now THAT would be something to see, and hell, if the guy had the cahones to do it and she said yes, and her boyfriend didn't have any major qualms with it, then yeah.
shouganaika
sorry, I didnt mean to say 'knockers' I meant to say 'yams'
Good_Jorb
Smithinjapan - Had shouganaika been a female that you found attractive, would you still have a problem with 'her' saying those things to girlfriend/wife/etc. and then snapping a picture?
Vagante
That somebody should be arrested for taking pictures of a scene that is clearly visible in public says more about the mental state of the people making this arrest than it does about the photographer. I don't believe this case has a leg to stand on but the cop has now had his career damaged.
If people do not want parts of themselves to be photographed in a public place, they should cover up.
kirakira25
Speaking as someone who had a complete stranger suddenly come up to her a few months ago while she was buying a ticket at a station, stick a camera in her face, take a shot of her face and chest (and I WASN`T remotely dressed as a whore - it was Autumn and I had a coat on) and run off, I can tell you that crime or not it was VERY unsettling.
I have no idea how this girl was dressed - she may have been wearing a knee-length skirt for all we know, but Im sorry, whichever way I look at it I cant justify anyone taking a picture of someone like that without their permission. I get that people take shots in the train and complete strangers happen to be in the shot, but there is a HUGE difference between that kind of shot and deliberately taking a secret shot of someones anatomy.
likeitis
If that was done in anyway that appeared threatening to you, such as you fearing the camera would smash your face, that is the crime of assault.
kirakira25
It all happened so quickly. I heard the camera click, and for a second I didnt realise what had happened, and then it suddenly dawned on me. As he turned to run away I saw the phone screen was saving something. I went to the ticket gates to tell the guard what had just happened and when I looked back the guy was watching me from a short distance away. When he saw me looking at him he turned tail and fled. I didnt feel threatened particularly - it just all happened so fast, but it was REALLY creepy! I can imagine it upsetting a lot of people, or people accompanying them.
FYI it happened at Daimon station on the Oedo line, right by the ticket machines
Nessie
Not attempted assault? Or are you exagerating on purpose?
Nessie
He meant to press the zoom button.
ralphrepo
"I pressed the wrong button?" He had the phone's photo program software already active (towards what purpose?) when he "accidentally" pressed and inadvertently took her picture? Of course it could happen... everyone walks around with their cell phone's photo program engaged, don't we?
Please.