Taxi driver, woman arrested for making up-skirt videos in Osaka park

Thursday 15th October, 08:48 AM JST

OSAKA —

Police on Wednesday arrested a Kyoto taxi driver and his female companion on charges of creating a public nuisance after they were caught making up-skirt videos on a slide in a park in Osaka’s Minato Ward.

According to police, Isao Tanabe, 38, and Maiji Kurozawa, 25, were spotted by a passerby at about 11 a.m. Kurozawa was flashing her underwear while Tanabe was filming it. The passerby, a woman, called police.

Officers arrived on the scene and questioned the pair. The two told police they met via the Internet, and that Tanabe paid Kurozawa 10,000 yen to pose for the video. Tanabe was quoted by police as saying, “It’s been a passion of mine to film women’s underwear, and I have done it before.”

The park is located in a residential area.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 50 Total Comments Show All

Yelnats at 05:48 PM JST - 15th October

If there are no kids around let them have fun, but she could have tripled her money easily, and then even sold him the underwear to put on Yahoo Japan.

There are more than enough HS and other girls showing their underwear on stairs and escalators here, and I am sure you can ask for permission and go some place private and shoot shoot shoot. Maybe you can even rent an escalator for after hours shooting. Gods Speed. and good luck. Silly country but I love it.
dbung10 at 06:06 PM JST - 15th October

dbung10, I am pretty sure you cannot be 'arrested' in Japan without committing a crime. Yes you can. people get arrested after being accused of a crime, not after actually doing it. Most of the time the two go together, but not always. This isnt just a japan thing. Can be anywhere. Look at the guy that spent years in jail for something he never did. pretty sure he got arrested at some point during the whole thing....
kinniku at 06:25 PM JST - 15th October

FYI. This is considered a crime under the Japanese legal system (Chapter 23 Article 174 for those keeping score). If another unconnected person can possibly see the sexual action, it is illegal.

In addition, since it is already established that others did witness this act, including minors, it is certainly going to be considered illegal.
dolphingirl at 07:26 PM JST - 15th October

A public nuisance is defined as 'something that unreasonably interfers with the health, safety, comfort, morals or convenience of a community'.

I have mixed feelings about this because we cannot assume that everyone has the same morals as we do. So the problem is where do you draw the line between what is acceptable and what isn't. Some public displays of affection might even been seen as inappropriate and be uncomfortable for other people. I suppose, to be safe, one has to try to be aware of the morals of the community they are in. (That sounds rather ridiculous, though, doesn't it?)

I would say that these two people probably crossed that line but it's really a judgement call for the police.
boboh at 07:50 PM JST - 15th October

Get a room, you two ;)
boboh at 07:52 PM JST - 15th October

And this is in the JT "Crime" section. That makes it even funnier.
PepinGalarga at 08:03 PM JST - 15th October

whatever get their rocks off, as long as it was not in view or proximity to young children. That would be very irresponsible.
BBLeo at 08:13 PM JST - 15th October

“It’s been a passion of mine to film women’s underwear, and I have done it before.” What a perfect admission. Will he serve time behind the bars or will he walk to become bigger producer, to join the real movies world. Slap on the wrist, go home boy as longest you pay your taxes. I wonder if any children were around when filming this Amazon Jungle or was it clean forest?
Blacklabel at 11:59 PM JST - 15th October

I dont know, in my opinion some things are "in public" and other things are just "outside" (or just "NOT inside"). When you watch some of the police programs on TV you sometimes see some young couple who went out of the way to park their car in a pretty much deserted area at 2:30am to mess around, but then the police pull up or some old person is walking their dog and walks by and sees them so they get busted.

To me, if its consensual and in a reasonably deserted place at a time of the night where you wouldnt expect anyone to be walking around, then should be no harm no foul in my opinion.
AEROCASTER at 12:55 AM JST - 16th October

Let's see... I can watch J-TV show showing girls in short skirts getting judo-flipped to see if the camera and show hosts and audience can catch a glimpse of their exposed panties as they land; I've seen women walking with skirts so short I can see their panties and butts hanging out below their skirts as they walk through the busy concourse of Yokohama Station (and I'm 185cm!!), and been exposed to panties of all sorts by J-women who seem very comfortable squatting with open legs, changing their socks on the train, etc, etc. This action by the J-police is laughable. If the prudish moms didn't like it just just ask the guy to move... it's not as though he was having sex with her.
kinniku at 01:08 AM JST - 16th October

Umm...I repeat what I wrote before. It is illegal in Japan to do what they did or what is being reported that they did. It is a law on the books in Japan. That is what they were arrested for. TV programs and the like have nothing to do with it.
kinniku at 01:11 AM JST - 16th October

One more thing, I wonder how many of the people who are posting that this is 'no big deal' have also posted something along the lines of how bad or crazy Japan is getting lately. Could it be that more and more bad and crazy things are being accepted as normal? Certainly something to think about. A park paid for with tax money should be a place to be able to take children without worrying about asking the woman to stop posing for lewd pictures and a man to stop taking lewd pictures. I can't believe that this expectation of public decency being respected at a public park is being questioned.
Investigator at 09:06 AM JST - 16th October

kinniku:One more thing, I wonder how many of the people who are posting that this is 'no big deal' have also posted something along the lines of how bad or crazy Japan is getting lately.

I guess its a lot easier to pose that strawman question rather than just do the leg work and find out. As someone who thinks this is no big deal, no, I am not of the opinion that Japan is any more bad or crazy than it ever was. In fact, its far better than my home country on that score.

I can't believe that this expectation of public decency being respected at a public park is being questioned.

Oh my goodness, public decency! Its amazing to me how people are calling this a sex act. It seems to be only because the man was getting aroused. Its always the fault of the man! If the woman walked through the park with a string bikini complete with massive cleavage showing above her top, it might raise an eyebrow, but if she got arrested people would come here and defend her right to wear what she wants to the teeth. Yet she is arousing men against their will. But any man caught gaping would get condemnation. Any man taking a picture would get more, and could be arrested, but the main reason floated would be because he did not have permission.

This situation is so much more benign. And in neither case would a pre-school kid (the only age kid that would be in the park at that time) have any clue or concept of what was going on.

But calling either a sex act or a violation of public decency is going over-board. It also discriminates against men, and only nets women if they give permission to look or film. Kissing or hugging would be more overt than this, and yes, some Japanese do complain about those. Wisely, we tell them to stuff it when they do. We should be telling them to stuff it with this situation too.
kinniku at 12:48 PM JST - 16th October

I guess its a lot easier to pose that strawman question rather than just do the leg work and find out.

What 'leg work'? A simple daily read of a lot of what gets posted here shows an awful lot of whining about how crazy Japanese are or how Japan has gotten. Just because you are not one of these people, does not mean the phenomenon does not exist. While I am asking, why is it a 'strawman'? My main point is that the actions described in this article and Japanese versions of the same are, in fact, illegal in this country. My comments on the opinions of others do not take anything away from this fact. So, it is not a 'strawman' if you would like to use the term correctly. It is merely an observational question.

But calling either a sex act or a violation of public decency is going over-board.

That is your opinion, based on your experiences in wherever you are from. However, it is considered a violation of the public decency act in this country and that matters legally, whereas your opinion does not. I even provided you with the specific law above.

Again, it doesn't matter what you think is obscene or not. It only matters what the legal system considers obscene and the Japanese legal system (and I) disagree with you. That is why they were arrested. They broke the law.

BTW, if you would like to speak of strawmen, let's look at yours, shall we?

Its always the fault of the man!

Nobody said that...strawman #1

If the woman walked through the park with a string bikini complete with massive cleavage showing above her top, it might raise an eyebrow, but if she got arrested people would come here and defend her right to wear what she wants to the teeth.

Bikinis and underwear are not the same,plus this was a planned performance not just some woman walking along wearing legally recognized attire...strawman #2

Any man taking a picture would get more, and could be arrested, but the main reason floated would be because he did not have permission.

The has nothing to do with taking people's pictures without their permission. This man had her permission. It was what they were doing while the photography was going on that is illegal....strawman #3

This situation is so much more benign.

One, you don't know how they were posing or how much could be seen. Two, what these two did was illegal. Walking around in a bikini is not...strawman #4

But calling either a sex act or a violation of public decency is going over-board.

Just to repeat, that is your opinion, but it does not match the laws of Japan.

Kissing or hugging would be more overt than this

How do you know? You don't know what these people were specifically doing and what kind of hugging and kissing are you attempting to compare it to? BTW, hugging and kissing in public are legal in most cases. What these two are accused of doing is not.

Wisely, we tell them to stuff it when they do.

Who is 'we'?

We should be telling them to stuff it with this situation too.

Well, I think 'you' should consider boning up on Japanese law before you decide to tell others what is legal and illegal in Japan. If not, you might find yourself on the 'stuffed' side of the argument.
WilliB at 05:56 PM JST - 21st October

I am not sure where the crime is in this story? Wtf?