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JOC to protect female athletes targeted by exploitative photos

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Athletics officials say pro athletes are not the only ones targeted, as demonstrated by a case last year that became a police matter when a guardian noticed a man taking photos of a child surreptitiously from the stands at a national-level meet outside of Tokyo.

Ten men were taken to the police station after the incident, but a few returned to the track the next day because the preexisting law provides no penalty for such voyeuristic-style photography unless it involves distributing nude, sexual, or pornographic images without consent.

Paedophiles at a athletics event photographing children. Revolting, but sadly no surprise. Why on earth is there no national paedophile register in this country?

15 ( +15 / -0 )

Good luck with this one. Outside of collecting everyone's smart phones and cameras upon entry to any event, there is absolutely no way to stop these perverts. It's a world wide problem!

Another "paying lip service" response to a real problem!

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Shouldn't male athletes get the same protections as well?

During the Rio Olympics, Cosmopolitan Magazine ran a series called “the best Olympic bulges” that ranked male athletes who had impressive crotch bulges.

Japanese pole vaulter (excuse me for the pun) Hagita became an international internet laughingstock when he knocked down the bar with his penis, and the replays were aired repeatedly.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Should all athletes get these protections?

9 ( +9 / -0 )

There is no law against nonconsensual filming and photographing in Japan, and such acts -- secretly filming nudity, sexual situations, or up women's skirts -- are punished only under nuisance-prevention ordinances set by each prefectural government.

What?? You can get into serious trouble for doing something like this. People get arrested for that all the time. But if there really isn't a serious law against it then make one.

It is difficult to charge offenders who take clothed photos of athletes without their consent if there is no criminal punishment available.

Well if they are clothed and if its not upskirt I really don't see the problem. And when I worked in Ryogoku, 15 years ago, I often saw women taking pictures of the Sumo wrestlers there without their consent. And around that time too, people were still taking pictures of foreigners without asking, though this is happening a lot less now.

This is what happens with celebs. Suck it up.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Should all athletes get these protections?

The article do not mention that only female athletes would get them, understandably they mention that many women are victims of this (or at least that they are the ones that complain when it happens) but none of the steps mentioned make a distinction about the gender of the victim.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

A female presenter in the US during the last Olympics made a really inappropriate comment about a shirtless male athlete.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I am against outlawing photography in this way. If you are in a public place, then you have no expectations of privacy. If you are in your home, then your privacy would be protected. Someone sending lewd photos to you on social media is already a crime and has nothing to do with the right of photographers to take photos without fear of prosecution because some opportunist sees an opportunity.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Sadly, the women will not be able to be protected unless they ban all forms of photography at events.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Sports Illustrated anyone?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The Olympics are forcing Japan to confront their own fetishes and do something about them. Upskirt shots are illegal and there is even a penalty! (Unlike many other ‘laws’.)

But filming butts at a track meet are not illegal. And when the gov’t gets around to making a law I’ll bet it will be complete with ‘no penalty’ as the gov’t doesn’t want to take away one of their fetishes.

Ever wonder why your digital camera makes a noise when taking a photo? Thank the Japanese chikan for that.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

> The Japanese Olympic Committee will move to protect female athletes from having nonconsensual photographs of a sexual nature snapped 

What a joke. In a country where Police Officers get busted for this almost as often as regular pervs? Get serious, no one is buying it. Nothing will be done.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Some of these women athletes enjoy the attention. I have seen more skimpy outfits on track and field competitors than I saw at the local beach.

A look at YouTube shows a lot of voyeuristic videos and closeups of female track athletes from around the world, so this is hardly a Japanese phenomenon as some love to portray it as.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Japan - the only country where taking photos surreptiously has its own crime name - 'UpSkirting'.

Even 'advertised' in big posters at railway stations.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Sports Illustrated is infamous for full crotch views of 13 year old Romanian gymnasts at the Olympics. No punishment that I know of. It isn’t a “Japan” problem. This isn’t going to change much though and is just lip service.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Does this mean that filming women's beach volleyball will be banned?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

No problem, any male photo will do too in most cases. lol

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I've seen worse picture where the J-photographers zoom in on the figure skaters personal parts!!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Perhaps female athletes should compete wearing burqas.

2 ( +11 / -9 )

The Japanese Olympic Committee will move to protect female athletes from having nonconsensual photographs of a sexual nature snapped while they compete,

"Will move" means doing something. What are they going to do? Ban all cameras at venues?

Other countries have laws criminalizing upskirting, and Japan should too. However, I don't think you can stop people taking images of clothed adult women and then cropping and zooming to suit some fetish. In this case, the base photograph as "snapped" is not "of a sexual nature".

2 ( +2 / -0 )

wear leggings

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Part of the problem must be that athletes' real names are used.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What happens to the "worm's eye view" POV camera photos?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I make a difference between people taking a photo for themselves, and using that photo to exploit it without the person's consent.

If you go public, public are the photos.

That does mean it should be used to make a profit, even a personal one.

As for abusing the female athletes by sending them wrong photos, this has been punished in my country forever probably.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Also I seem to remember a time when there was a lot of focus on (for example) Linford Christie's goods......

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japanese pole vaulter (excuse me for the pun) Hagita became an international internet laughingstock when he knocked down the bar with his penis

The bar was penalized?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Paedophiles at a athletics event photographing children. Revolting, but sadly no surprise. Why on earth is there no national paedophile register in this country?

It's more prevailant than most people want to admit.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Come on be honest men are always an afterthought at best when it comes to violence, domestic violence, shelters, cancer research, dangerous jobs & the biggie WARS.....etc etc etc

That has no importance, the measures indicated here would protect anybody independently from their gender, one thing is that women are the majority of victims, another completely different that they would be the only ones protected. If you want to say men are being ignored you will have to wait until only complains from male athletes are not contemplated under the new measures.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

There's an uproar here on the comment section a few days ago on an article regarding to the accessibility of contraceptives in Japan, which many leftist argued as backward and not as female-friendly as compared to the west.

Well, Japan is finally taking a precedent here on the matter of female protection. The lot of you are now probably jumping in joys.

I suggest that the next step should be separating any female and male competition altogether, as well as allowing the spectators to only watch sporting tournaments that consists of their respective genders. I bet that women football, for example, will really thrive then. Oh, and you'll no longer have to worries about the males wandering eyes that as you guys had been saying, are sexualising the lot of you in every way!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Murabito

Come on be honest men are always an afterthought at best when it comes to violence, domestic violence, shelters, cancer research, dangerous jobs & the biggie WARS.....etc etc etc Society considers men expendable. Even most men dont really consider things that happen to men sadly.

To the article, clearly this is a problem especially here in Japan & needs careful consideration on what can be done!

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Wow this piece was all over the place, aside from being hogwash.

The Japanese Olympic Committee will move to protect female athletes from having nonconsensual photographs of a sexual nature snapped while they compete

Some folks have lost all common sense.

invalid CSRF

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

It is difficult to stop someone from taking such pictures, but there should be regulations about posting such content. Youtube is full of videos with sleazy captions, maybe these sites should regulate on what are clearly non-consensual photos/videos!!

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

You can tell these athletes to change their clothing all you like, it won't stop this aggressive, hate-filled abuse. Taking away a woman's accomplishments and objectifying her, cutting her down into body parts, that is what such misogynists do. they're not doing it to be funny, it is an attack.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

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