A 55-year-old man, reportedly a former staff member of the Singapore Embassy in Japan, was allegedly caught red-handed taking photos of a naked 13-year-old boy in a Tokyo public bath.

Accused is a 55-year-old Singaporean counsellor

Japanese news outlets Asahi Shimbun and NHK alleged that the man is a Singaporean who was working at the embassy as a counsellor, before he left his post due to the incident.

The man was allegedly caught on Feb. 27, 2024 using his phone to film the naked 13-year-old boy in the men’s changing room of a public bath house.

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

An employee at the bath house reported the man to the police, who found photos of the naked boy on his smartphone, as well as photos of other male patrons in the changing room in the bath house.

Accused allegedly admitted to voyeurism

The man reportedly told the police officers that he was a diplomat and refused to go to a police station.

He told them that he would answer the police's questions at the bath house instead.

He allegedly admitted that he had filmed others at the bath house in Minato five times in the past, and at other public bath houses in Japan, where he has taken at least 700 photos over a six-month period.

The man reportedly deleted the photos of the 13-year-old boy at the request of the boy's parents on the day he was caught on Feb. 27.

He also reportedly deleted the other photos in his phone, but refused to hand it over to the police.

Requested to appear in Japanese court

The man has not been charged but has been requested to appear in the Japanese court by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

According to NHK, the police made the court request through Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the man supposedly has immunity from arrest in Japan as a diplomat until he leaves the country.

The police are reportedly considering levying charges against him for violating child pornography laws, and have evidence that they will submit to prosecutors.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, the embassy said that the diplomat had "completed his assignment as of Apr. 12" and has returned to Singapore.

In response to Mothership's queries, a spokesperson from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed the man was an MFA officer.

The spokesperson said MFA learned about the allegations on May 1, after the Japanese media contacted them.

The staff member in question completed his tour of duty as scheduled and returned to Singapore in mid-April 2024. He did not inform the Ministry about the incident, until he was asked about it on May 1.

It added:

"MFA expects all its staff to uphold the highest standards of conduct, and to abide by the laws of their host countries. From the time of the alleged offence on 27 Feb 24 to today, we have not received information from the authorities in Tokyo.

The Ministry has reached out to the relevant authorities for information and will be thoroughly investigating the incident. The officer is suspended from duties to assist in investigations.

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."

Top image from Singapore Embassy in Tokyo/Facebook