A Singaporean diplomat was fined on Thursday (13 June) by a court in Japan for secretly filming a teenage boy at a bathhouse in Tokyo.
The 55-year-old, who was identified as Sim Siong Chye, was a former counsellor at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo.
He allegedly committed various acts of voyeurism during his posting.
Source: Challenge
He claimed he was unable to control his “desires” when he saw nude men.
According to Japanese media NHK, Sim visited a public bath in Tokyo in February while he was still in office.
He then used his smartphone to film a nude teenage boy changing in the bathhouse.
Bathhouse employees who witnessed the act subsequently reported the matter to local police.
Police then found multiple photos of nude men in his phone.
Despite admitting to officers that he did take the nude photos, Sim refused to accompany the police to the local station, or hand over his phone.
He then allegedly deleted the photos on the spot.
Sim claimed he had immunity as a diplomat and cited his privileges under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
He returned to Singapore in April after completing his duties in Japan.
According to ChannelNewsAsia (CNA), Sim returned to Japan on 9 June after a request from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
Yomiuri Shimbun also reported that Sim had “reflected” on his actions and chose to cooperate with the relevant authorities.
A report by The Asahi Shimbun revealed that the Singaporean diplomat was “surprised by Japan’s public bath culture and became interested in baths”.
“I did it so that I could look back on it later, but I was not targeting children,” he admitted during investigations according to NHK.
Sim was found guilty of his acts and was fined 300,00 yen (S$2,600) by a court in Japan.
Speaking to MS News, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) stated that it takes a “serious view of any misconduct” by officers.
“We understand that the officer has been dealt with in accordance with Japanese law and we respect the decision by the Japanese authorities,” the spokesperson stated.
The MFA spokesperson also confirmed that it has commenced disciplinary proceedings.
According to this article published on Public Service Division – Challenge, Sim published a book in 2011 titled ‘Once Bitten, Never Shy: Confessions of a Backpacking Diplomat’ on his travels in various countries from 1995 to 2004.
This listing said he graduated from the National University of Singapore and worked briefly at a Japanese shipyard before joining the Foreign Service in 1993.
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Featured image adapted from Challenge and Singapore Embassy in Tokyo on Facebook.
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