In contrast to the U.S., in Japan victims must deal with sextortion themselves or pay expensive legal fees.

(Illustration by qnel)

If posted online, even just once, sexual photos and videos spread rapidly.

Japan’s current legal system has no remedy. Victims themselves must ask for the images to be removed to stop them from spreading further. The police, too, offer little to no help.

Even worse, some perpetrators take advantage of victims’ weakness and demand money in exchange for removing the images. If they aren’t paid, they threaten to further share the images. And if the victim gives in once, their demands are endless.

Demanding money in exchange for removing images

In my last article, I asked for information from individuals who have been victims of digital sexual exploitation. Upon doing so, I was contacted by D, a 19-year-old man.

Around December 2023, D found sexually explicit photos and videos of himself and a female partner posted on X (formerly Twitter). He was surprised because he had never sent or shown the photos or videos to anyone else. The posts already had millions of impressions, the number of times a post appears in users’ feeds in X.

The photos and videos spread quickly. They were even on apps used to trade sexual images like Album Collection, Capsule Share, and Video Share. “I need to do something fast,” D thought. He decided to ask the people who had posted his images to delete them.

D contacted several people via direct message (DM) on X, but some demanded money “in exchange” for taking the images down. One said they had obtained D’s images by paying for them; they treated D’s images as if they were “commodities” and pressed him for money, saying that they too had purchased the images and that deleting them for free would be like flushing money down the drain. “Can’t you pay just 5,000 yen (about $35)?” they wrote.

D sent money using the payment app PayPay as well as Amazon gift cards, which can be sent anonymously to the recipient. Amazon gift cards can be purchased at convenience stores and used to make purchases in the Amazon Store and with other retailers after entering the number on the card. It is also possible to redeem the cards for cash, making the transaction untraceable.

Apple and Google, as well as a variety of other companies, sell similar gift cards.

D complied with the perpetrators’ demands. He did not want his family to know and felt he could not discuss the issue with anyone.

A pile of gift cards sent by D to users demanding money. (Courtesy of D. The image has been partially edited.)

“We’re all going to share it”

But the demands escalated.

One user told D that he knew a big shot in image-sharing circles, someone with influence who, if approached, could ask several of the accounts spreading D’s images to stop.

Others even threatened to further spread D’s photos and videos if he did not pay.

“We could have made a fortune with that video.”

“If you give something to the dark side of the internet, it’s there forever.”

“Send all the money you have.”

“We’re all going to share [the images].”

Sometimes the same person demanded multiple payments; D once paid 40,000 yen (about $275) to one person.

The unending demands

D kept a record of the amounts he paid, the date, and the payee. Without identifying the payees, this is what it looked like (all values in Japanese yen).

12/29

6000

4000

2000

12/30

6000

1/2

8000

15000

1/5

4000

10000

40000

1/9

5000

1/22

10000

5000×2

1/27

15000

2/20

10000

10000

3/20

3000

As far as his records show, D gave the blackmailers a total of over 150,000 yen (about $1,035). He said he felt he “had to deal with the situation as quickly as possible.” Despite the payments, some of the photos and videos remained on X.

200,000 yen in lawyers fees for two deletion requests

D researched online how he could deal with the situation and decided to consult a lawyer.

Even when a lawyer is delegated to deal with the perpetrator, they will often first request the perpetrator to remove the images voluntarily. If they do not comply, the lawyer will resort to legal proceedings. For example, they can make a request for disclosure of information about users who repeatedly post said images, or file a preliminary injunction in court to order the users or the site to remove the images. They may also file a lawsuit seeking damages.

The law office that D consulted states on its website that requests to remove information “start at 33,000 yen (about $230) per instance.” D asked for his lawyer’s help with two instances of requests for removal. After the images disappeared, he paid 99,000 yen (about $685) per instance as contingency fees, a total of 198,000 yen (about $1,370).

Requesting information disclosure about users was even more expensive: D was told by his lawyer that it would cost roughly 800,000 to 1,000,000 yen (about $5,530 to $6,910). This was far beyond what D, a student, could afford.

Tansa sent questions to this law office, including asking for a breakdown of the fees; however, they declined to be interviewed or comment.

Rapid increase in sextortion 

Demanding money based on sexual images or threatening to share said images further is called “sextortion,” a combination of the words “sex” and “extortion.”

Paps, a nonprofit that supports victims of online sexual exploitation, says they have received a rapidly growing number of consultations regarding sextortion. The number of new consultations on sextortion was 171 in FY2022; in FY2023, it had grown to 560. Police do not publish official statistics on sextortion cases.

The following is the most common type of case that Paps hears.

The victim is pressured into sending sexual images or participating in video chats by individuals they have connected with via social media, dating apps, or language exchange apps intended for making international friends. The perpetrator may also send naked images, lowering the victim’s guard. However, once the victim sends their own sexual images, the other party threatens to share them with their followers on social media and starts demanding money.

The exchange may take place on multiple apps; among them, Instagram is often used. Sometimes, the messages are written in English or unnatural Japanese, and Paps suspects these are a type of organized crime originating outside Japan.

Paps Chief Director Kazuna Kanajiri said that victims “shouldn’t send a single word to the perpetrator, but block them instead, because they will continue to demand money if you pay even once.”

However, she added that “the perpetrators are getting away with it,” as police don’t conduct investigations even after victims come to them for help.

FBI: “An alarming number of deaths by suicide”

In the U.S., the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) established a dedicated webpage in 2024 to alert the public about sextortion. In particular, it warns that financial sextortion against minors is an “increasing threat has resulted in an alarming number of deaths by suicide.”

The FBI website encourages victims to report sextortion cases at the nearest FBI office or online. It also introduces the bureau’s Victims Services Division and other support resources. “Financial sextortion is a crime, but it’s not your fault, and you can get help,” the website states.

When the victim is a child, the records are compiled into a database. Laws have also established mechanisms such as the Child Exploitation Notification Program (CENP), which notifies the individual and their family of the situation whenever the FBI launches an investigation into images of child victims.

In Japan, some prefectural police disseminate information about sextortion on their websites and social media. However, they only ask people to be careful, without encouraging them to consult the police.

“Contact with strangers on the internet can be very dangerous,” wrote the Osaka Prefectural Police on its website. “Never send videos or photos of yourself naked or of your private parts, etc., to others. (Once spread online, it is impossible to delete the images.)”

Meanwhile, the Saitama Prefectural Police cyber countermeasures department posed the following to X: “If you receive a (threatening, etc.) email, don’t panic and ignore it.”

“Financial sextortion is a crime. But it’s not your fault,” reads a message to victims on the FBI website.

D burned through all the money he had saved from his part-time job to pay the perpetrators and his lawyer. Even now, he feels compelled to search “Album Collection” and “Capsule Share” on X every day to see if any of his images are circulating.

“For a while, I tried to forget about it and live with it, but I just can’t get it out of my head,” he said.

To be continued.

(Originally published in Japanese on March 26, 2024.)

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