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SEX in the NEWS 9/10/02
In Japan, phones make mischief
Miki Tanikawa Special to the International Herald Tribune Monday, September 9, 2002
TOKYO Europe may be anticipating the arrival of the camera-equipped cell phone that lets people swap snapshots over the mobile network, but in Japan, photo-phone use has shown a nasty underbelly.
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Since J-Phone Co., the Japanese unit of Vodafone Group PLC of Britain, married a digital camera to a cell phone in late 2000, picture-messaging has become widespread here, and Yano Research Institute Ltd., a marketing research firm, predicts that Japanese cellular networks will sell 23 million more camera phones in the 12 months through next March.
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As vast numbers of people become equipped with the ability to take shots anytime, anywhere, even anonymously, some people have used their photo phones for mischievous or even criminal intentions.
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The most widely reported misuse so far: surreptitious shooting up women's skirts in such places as train stations. The National Police Agency offers no comprehensive data, but some regional police departments report a sudden burst in arrests for this offense. First-time offenders generally face a fine of as much as ¥500,000 (about $4,250) or six months in jail.
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Cell phones today are more frequently used for checking e-mail than to converse with people, so holding a phone and twiddling with it appears natural to the casual observer.
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"Unlike an ordinary camera, the appearance of holding a camera phone in public places is not suspicious, so people must take caution," a National Police Agency official said.
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Some people are concerned that the sheer number of camera-ready phones and the simplicity of the snapshot may produce significant crime in the future.
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In one widely reported case, the police said two junior high school students used camera phones to take pictures of another student naked and threatened to distribute them over the Internet.
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In another recent case, the perpetrator reportedly confessed to the police when he was arrested: "It was so easy to do it with a phone, so I did it light-heartedly."
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"A quantitative issue - of so many people having a camera phone with them - can turn into a qualitative issue," like using it for undesirable purposes, said Masahide Maeda, professor of criminal law at Tokyo Metropolitan University.
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While arrest numbers are small, such practices are becoming part of the phone culture. In the August issue of Radio Life, an edgy technology magazine, a feature explores which of the five latest camera phone models are suitable for the voyeuristic user.
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Merely photographing people is not against the law unless the images are publicly distributed, Maeda said. But it is easy to speculate about long-term effects.
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"One day, people may have to cover their face when walking the street," he said.
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Mindful of such dangers, mobile network operators such as J-Phone have set up the phones so that releasing the shutter causes the phone to emit words like "Cheese!" or "Click!" Still, the sound may not be noticed in noisy public places such as stations, and some underground technology shops offer to undo the sound trigger for a price.
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