Three Men Accused of Extorting Upskirt Photographers in Tokyo Subway

The Daily Beast:

"TOKYO, Japan—Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) announced on Aug. 1 that three people had been arrested in Tokyo’s Toshima ward for running an extortion ring—and targeting some unusual victims.

The cops might have expected the Japanese public to herald the arrests as a victory for law and order, but the alleged criminals are being hailed as heroes. That’s because in this case, the suspects are accused of targeting men they suspect of taking non-consensual photos of women around Ikebukuro Station in northern Tokyo."

Being a socially marginalized person means that I consistently have unpopular opinions.  And here I go again.

If you read the linked article, you will see that the three men who were arrested were seen escorting other men to ATMs at this station on other occasions, presumably after catching them doing upskirt photography on non-consenting women.

Fuck them.

The article goes on to explain that there's a very lucrative market for such videos in Japan, not only on the internet but in local shops. 

These alleged extortionists were keeping all the money for themselves.  They weren't in any way part of the solution of sexual exploitation of women.  As I see it, they were merely profit skimmers, co-scumbags. 

They didn't give the money to the women who were preyed upon.  They didn't stop the creepers from doing their behavior, didn't report them to the police.  They only dipped their fingers into the pie, exactly as la cosa nostra would do in that situation.  They found an angle to benefit themselves, and exploited it.  They were caught when one of their targets balked at paying them, and instead went to the police, despite being a criminal himself.

Because of the combination of capitalism and rape culture, I don't expect any of this to change.  Just like in America, the Japanese police are often bad actors in sexual violence against women.

Mainichi:

"According to the National Police Agency, existing statistics going back to 2014 show about 20 police officers and police personnel [in Japan] have been subject to disciplinary action every year for secretly taking women's upskirt photos with smartphones and other similar criminal offenses. The total number of such people reached 148 in the seven years up to 2020. "