The Japanese police have requested for the Singapore Embassy in Japan to bring a diplomat and former staff member back to Japan for questioning over photos he took of naked males in a Tokyo public bath.

The Metropolitan Police Department forwarded their request through Japan's Foreign Ministry and other channels, local media Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo reported.

Caught red-handed

The 55-year-old former counsellor of the Singapore Embassy in Japan was allegedly caught red-handed taking photos of a naked 13-year-old boy in the men's changing room of a public bath house in Tokyo.

The bath house is located in the Minato ward in Tokyo, where the Singapore embassy is also located.

An employee at the bathhouse reported the man to the police who found photos of the naked boy on his smartphone, along with photos of other male patrons in the changing room in the bathhouse.

The Singaporean counsellor admitted to the allegations when he was questioned by the police and deleted the photos in the bathhouse.

However, he reportedly told police officers that he was a diplomat and refused to follow officers to a police station before leaving the scene, Asahi Shimbun reported.

Returned to Singapore mid-April 2024

The police were unable to detain him due to diplomatic immunity, as the man was immune to arrest while in Japan.

The man eventually completed his tour of duty and returned to Singapore in mid-April 2024. He did not inform the Singapore ministry about the incident until he was asked about it on May 1.

The 55-year-old was later suspended from his duties to assist in investigations.

Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said:

"We will cooperate with the Japanese authorities and take the necessary actions.

We would also be prepared to waive diplomatic immunity to facilitate investigations if the alleged facts bear out."

Read more:

Top image from Singapore Embassy in Tokyo/Facebook