13-6-2024 (TOKYO) In a case that has drawn international attention, a Singaporean diplomat is expected to be formally charged by Japanese authorities on Thursday (Jun 13) for allegedly filming a male teenager at a public bath in Tokyo. The incident has raised concerns about the abuse of diplomatic privileges and has prompted swift action from both nations involved.
According to Japanese media reports, the 55-year-old man, who previously served as a counsellor at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo, returned to Japan on June 9 following a request made by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department through Japan’s Foreign Ministry. Upon his arrival, he was immediately questioned by Tokyo police regarding the alleged offense.
The case first came to light in February when it was reported that the diplomat had used his smartphone to secretly film a 13-year-old first-year middle school student in the changing room of a public bath while the boy was naked.
Staff members at the public bath, located in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, reportedly alerted the police, who subsequently searched the diplomat’s phone and found “multiple naked photos of male customers,” according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
The diplomat is alleged to have initially refused to cooperate with the authorities, declining to go to the police station. However, he reportedly admitted to taking such photographs in other public baths as well. When instructed to delete the photos from his phone, the diplomat “deleted them on the spot,” with reports suggesting that he had deleted as many as 700 photos, which he claimed to have taken in the six months leading up to the incident.
The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating that the diplomat had completed his tour of duty in Tokyo as scheduled and returned to Singapore in mid-April. However, he was immediately suspended from his duties to assist in investigations, as he had not informed the ministry about the incident until questioned about it.
In a statement issued on May 2, the MFA expressed its willingness to waive diplomatic immunity to assist in investigations if necessary, emphasizing its commitment to cooperating fully with the Japanese authorities.
