A Uniqlo staffer in Japan was arrested for secretly filming shoppers who used fitting rooms in one of the brand’s Tokyo stores

It really shows that sexual perversion strikes anywhere, even in polite and decorous Japan, even in family-friendly Uniqlo, even in the store’s fitting rooms. And recording devices can strike in the most unlikely of sites or in the general safety of a popular retail space. Japanese media has reported that a store manager in Uniqlo’s Atré Vie Otsuka (a shopping mall) outlet in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward had secretly film women who used the store’s fitting rooms. According to The Japan Times, the man’s victims included one 15-year-old junior high school student. He reportedly admitted to his crimes, telling the police, “I couldn’t suppress my urge to see what underwear the girls were wearing.”

So extraordinary was the invasion of privacy that Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing issued a statement to say: “We deeply apologize to the victims and their families.” They did not mention that compensation would be offered, but did assure shoppers: “We take very seriously the fact that there was a breach of trust at a store where customers should be able to enjoy shopping with peace of mind, and we will promptly take necessary measures such as reviewing store apparatuses, including security cameras and by conducting thorough employee training.” According to the Tokyo police, the suspect admitted to “taking voyeuristic images in the store around June”.

The Mainichi reported that the 35-year-old suspect was arrested on “suspicion of crimes including violating a law that prohibits the clandestine filming of sexual images”. The man apparently submitted himself “voluntarily” to police questioning after he allegedly attempted to take upskirt photos of a high school girl on a train of the JR Yamanote Line. It is not stated if he succeeded or how the misconduct was uncovered. The police then found on his phone 44 video clips, believed to have been taken at the fitting rooms in the said Uniqlo store. How long the man was in Uniqlo’s employ was not revealed, or if his work was terminated. The police are supposedly still investigating.

File Photo: Chin Boh Kay for SOTD