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The 31-year-old resident of Fukushima Prefecture was arrested in May after one of the women at a hot spring in Yamagata Prefecture discovered the concealed camera, according to Japanese media outlet TBS News Dig. He was brought to trial last week.
The man confessed to purchasing a telephoto lens online and crafting a realistic rock structure using clay and brown plastic to hide the camera. To disguise the camera's cable, he wrapped it in brown tape and connected it to a power bank.
He also revealed he had pretended to be a climber to avoid suspicion, and confessed to having used the fake rock camera to secretly film over 1,000 women at different hot springs since 2022.
Prosecutors have recommended a two-year prison sentence, citing the "planned, frequent, and malicious" nature of his actions, as well as the high risk of reoffending.
The verdict is expected to be delivered on Tuesday, according to the South China Morning Post.
Japanese netizens expressed shock at the news, with some criticizing the proposed two-year sentence as too lenient, suggesting it should be multiplied by the number of victims due to the potential lifelong impact if the footage is uploaded online.
The crime of secretly taking sexually exploitative images in public spaces is a commonly reported issue in Japan. The Japan National Police Agency reported 5,737 such cases in 2023, and 5,730 in 2022, a figure higher than in previous years.
