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Ex-MFA staff, 55, who filmed boy & others in Japan's public baths, fined nearly S$2,600
MFA said they respect the decision made by the Japanese authorities.
Fiona Tan
A 55-year-old Singaporean accused of filming a 13-year-old boy and others in the nude in public baths during the period he was a staff at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo had returned to Japan to be investigated.
The diplomat, Sim Siong Chye, a former counsellor at the embassy, was charged in a Tokyo summary court and was issued a summary court order to pay a 300,000 yen (S$2,575) fine on Jun. 13, 2024, NHK reported.
Went back to Japan for investigations
Sim had returned to Singapore after completing his posting as scheduled but went back to Japan for investigations upon the request of authorities there, a spokesperson from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in response to Mothership's queries.The MFA spokesperson said Sim does not have diplomatic immunity as he completed his posting in mid-April 2024.
The MFA spokesperson added that the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo has engaged with the Japanese authorities to facilitate the ongoing investigations.
NHK reported that Sim had voluntarily returned to Japan on Jun. 9 for police investigations to express his regret and speak as an ordinary citizen without diplomatic immunity.
The MFA spokesperson added that it is aware that Sim has been dealt with per Japanese law, and respects the decision by the Japanese authorities.
Investigations completed, no diplomatic immunity
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Sim had explained to investigators that he was surprised by the Japanese public bath culture and became interested in baths, reported The Asahi Shimbun."I was unable to control my desires when I saw a man naked," he added, according to Yomiuri Shimbun.
Sim apologised and said he had filmed the video intending to view it later and that he had no intention of targeting children.
Background
Sim was allegedly caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) using his phone to film a naked 13-year-old boy in the men’s changing room of a public bath house in Minato ward in Tokyo on Feb. 27.An employee at the bathhouse reported Sim to the police, who found photos of the naked boy on Sim's smartphone, as well as photos of other male patrons in the changing room in the bathhouse.
On that same day, Sim reportedly told police officers that he was a diplomat and refused to go to a police station.
He also allegedly admitted that he had filmed others at the bathhouse in Minato five times in the past and at other public bathhouses in Japan, where he has taken at least 700 photos over a six-month period.
He was still in service at the time of the alleged offences but did not inform MFA until the incident came to light and when he was asked about it more than two months later, in May 2024.
