The two suspects are seen as the latest entrepreneurs in Japan’s burgeoning field of “Voyeur Hunting.”
According to Tokyo Metro Police, on 8 November, 22-year-old Masashi Nakamura and 20-year-old Ryoma Fujishima witnessed a white-collar worker in his 30s taking a secret video up the skirt of a high school student in Machida Station. So, like any upstanding citizens, they confronted the man.
However, like slightly-less-than-upstanding citizens they told him they knew what he was up to and requested he pay them off. Caught red-handed, the voyeur complied and handed over 41,000 yen (US$365) to the two “Voyeur Hunters” as dubbed by the media.
Now with a small chunk of change obtained from the voyeur, they probably all could have gone their separate ways to reflect on their own various crimes. However, the pair of Voyeur Hunters made the classic mistake of getting greedy and said to the vile videographer, “We know the girl you taped and a few tens of thousands of yen isn’t going to make up for what you did.”
So they went to a money lender where the voyeur took out a three million yen ($26,700) loan, bringing the total extorted amount to 3.41 million yen ($27,000). With such extensive damage to his finances, the voyeur felt he had no choice but to swallow his pride, go to the police, and report Nakamura and Fujishima, who could be easily identified by security camera footage.
Expecting the Voyeur Hunters to stalk the same grounds, police easily found them again prowling through Machida Station and made the arrest on 17 November. During interrogation Fujishima is reported to have confessed while the seemingly more legal-savvy Nakamura denies the charges saying he “did not intend to threaten the man.”
Police are assuming this is not the first time these Voyeur Hunters caught someone. According to their various social network accounts, they both had recently dropped out of their universities with Nakamura pursing a career as a DJ and uploading pictures of himself at a Macau casino. Meanwhile, Fujishima posted photos of himself staying in high-class hotels and attending fancy parties.
The number of reported hidden camera incidents in Japan was 3,265 in 2014 and has been steadily rising. In response there has also been a reported upward trend in Voyeur Hunters as well, some of whom are said to get more efficient results by working with women who will ride up and down escalators wearing short skirts to lure out potential pervs. An investigation is still ongoing to see whether this was the method of these men as well.
While this latest incident isn’t entirely unprecedented, many readers were still surprised by this novel industry.
“Japan is a country of opportunity, where you can make a business out of anything.”
“Someone should start a Voyeur Hunter Hunter business.”
“I’m already working on a Voyeur Hunter Hunter Hunter business.”
Regardless of whether you think Voyeur Hunters are modern-day Robin Hoods or simply hoods of the non-Robin variety, trust me when I say it’s better to stay in school that to become a vigilante extortionist. I still think back at how better things would be if I hadn’t dropped out to become a Jaywalker Hunter…
…so many middle fingers.
Source: Yahoo! Japan News via My Game News Flash, Nikkan Gendai
Top image: Pakutaso (edited by RocketNews24)