Vice principal installed hidden camera resembling fire alarm at Japan elementary school

KONAN, Aichi -- The vice principal at an elementary school here installed a hidden camera in the facility in 2022 under instructions from th...

KONAN, Aichi -- The vice principal at an elementary school here installed a hidden camera in the facility in 2022 under instructions from the principal, and captured images of students without informing them or their parents, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned.

The vice principal, who has since left the school in the Aichi Prefecture city of Konan, was quoted as saying, "We wanted to respond swiftly to frequent mischief," but parents criticized the move, with one saying, "It's creepy to be filmed without knowing it. Isn't this really secret filming?"

According to the municipal board of education and other sources, the former vice principal in June 2022 installed a camera disguised as a fire alarm on the ceiling at an angle showing a specific student's shoe cubby and the hallway. The school did not explain the installation in advance to students or their parents, and the camera continued to capture footage until it was removed in October the same year on the grounds that "the situation regarding the trouble became clear."

When the education board investigated, the school explained, "Mischief with shoes by a certain student was frequently occurring, so we installed the camera for security purposes." The vice principal is said to have bought and installed the camera under the direction of the principal.

However, no documents were created to authorize permission for installing the camera or to state how the footage would be stored and for how long, with the principal and vice principal managing the decision internally.

Education board says prior explanation was needed

A representative of the education board's education division said that the children and their parents should have been given an explanation on the purpose of installing the camera and how long it would be there, and that the way the situation was handled was inappropriate. Furthermore, since the installation of the camera was kept secret, the board concluded that the purpose was for surveillance alone, rather than for security.

At the same time, the board said it did not consider the recordings to constitute "secret filming" as they were directed by the principal and not for personal use. The principal at the time has already retired.

The former vice principal, who is now a Konan Municipal Board of Education official, told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I purchased the camera after consulting with the principal. It wasn't intended to 'avoid detection'; I chose it based on its operability and ease of use." He stated that the camera was privately purchased with his own money, and that he was driven by "a desire to respond as quickly as possible."

Footage obtained by a parent through an information disclosure request showed multiple students walking down the hallway and retrieving their shoes, together with audio. The education board still retains some of the footage, and a representative stated, "There is still a possibility of a further investigation, and we will delete it when it is no longer needed."

A former student who learned they were filmed expressed disgust, saying, "It's really creepy." Parents also expressed concern, with one individual asking, "Could there be cameras installed in other places, too?"

Education board superintendent Kazuaki Takata commented, "We will first ascertain the background, and then decide whether to provide an explanation (from the education board)."

Regarding unauthorized filming within schools, elementary and junior high school teachers in Nagoya and eastern Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture have been arrested for sharing voyeuristic images of girls in group chats on social media. In the city of Sasebo in southwestern Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture, there was an incident where a municipal elementary school teacher filmed students during class without permission using a computer camera.

Tetsuhiko Nakajima, professor emeritus of educational administration at Nagoya University, commented, "They were filming an unspecified number of students without their consent, thereby collecting personal information and undermining trust in the school. Since the students were not informed, it has not even served as a deterrent against mischief."

(Japanese original by Shinichiro Kawase, Nagoya News Department)