A 55-year-old man working at the Singapore Embassy in Japan was allegedly caught red-handed taking photos of a naked 13-year-old boy in a Tokyo public bath.

Man in question still with MFA, but suspended

Japanese news outlets Asahi Shimbun and NHK reported that the man left his post due to the incident.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on May 2, 2024 that the MFA officer had completed his tour of duty as scheduled and recently returned to Singapore.

The man was still working for MFA when the incident came to light, according to MFA's statement. He has since been suspended from duties to assist in investigations.

MFA said it was only made aware of the incident on May 1, after Japanese media contacted them.

"From the time of the alleged offence on Feb. 27 to today [May 2], we have not received information from the authorities in Tokyo."

MFA added, "[The man] did not inform the ministry until he was asked about the incident yesterday."

MFA prepared to waive diplomatic immunity if alleged facts bear out

MFA said it has reached out to the relevant authorities for information and will be thoroughly investigating the incident.

It added that it would cooperate with the Japanese authorities and take the necessary actions, including waiving the man's diplomatic immunity to facilitate investigations, if the alleged facts bear out.

MFA said it expects all its staff to uphold the highest standards of conduct, and to abide by the laws of their host countries.

Man kept mum, MFA in the dark for nearly two months

The man was allegedly caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) using his phone to film the naked 13-year-old boy in the men’s changing room of a public bath house in Minato ward in Tokyo nearly two months ago on Feb. 27.

He was still in service at the time of the alleged offence, according to MFA's statement.

An employee at the bath house reported the man to the police, and the man reportedly told them he was a diplomat and refused to go to a police station.

He reportedly told the police that he would answer their questions at the bath house instead, where he reportedly admitted to filming at the Minato public bath on several occasions, as well as other public bath houses in Japan.

He reportedly took more than 700 photos over six months, and deleted all of them that night on Feb. 27, but refused to hand it over to the police.

The man reportedly told officers then that he regretted his actions and said: "I don't know why I did this."

Police did not arrest man after incident due to diplomatic immunity

Before the incident came to light, the man was reportedly not charged nor apprehended by the Japanese authorities after the incident on Feb. 27.

Apprehending diplomatic envoys linked to criminal cases in Japan is not a straightforward process, according to a Japanese police officer cited by Asahi Shimbun.

The officer said: "When people come forward and identify themselves as diplomats, police cannot arrest them, even if they voluntarily submit to questioning. Police officers know this. Therefore, they refrain from asking them to accompany them to [a police station].

However, the Japanese authorities are now considering levying charges against him for violating child pornography laws and filming a person’s body without consent, and possess evidence that they will provide to prosecutors.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department will reportedly be making a request in May 2024 through Japan's foreign affairs ministry for the man to appear in a Japanese court.

Japanese police are also reportedly making a request to the Singapore embassy in Japan to ask the man to turn himself in.

Top image from Singapore Embassy in Tokyo/Facebook