Nude photos of a female student at a Shiga Prefectural High School were shared with multiple friends by her ex-boyfriend, a male student at another prefectural high school. According to a report in the Kyoto Shimbun, the prefectural board of education has determined that this constitutes a crime and revenge porn, and is currently working with the school and police to address the issue.
Shiga Prefectural Board of Education said that the perpetrator shared several nude photos of the victim to friends in the 2025 academic year. He sent the images to friends by phone, making it possible for the images to keep spreading.
The girl contacted the school to report the incident, and a police report was filed. After interviewing the perpetrator and his friends, the school and police confirmed that the photos had only been shared with a few people and that they had deleted the images.
In response to inquiries from the Kyoto Shimbun, the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education stated that it could not disclose whether this constitutes a “serious incident” of bullying, but added, “This is an incident that should never happen. We believe we were able to respond sympathetically to the victim in this case, but will strive to establish a system where children can seek advice on any concerns they may have, not just revenge porn.”
It remains unclear from media reports if the police will now pursue criminal charges, since revenge porn is now a crime and is on the rise, meaning authorities are keen to make examples of such cases.
The lowering of the age of majority in Japan from 20 to 18 will also make it easier to prosecute high schoolers and college students who engage in activities deemed to be revenge porn.
