Taiwan prosecutors seek 1.5-year jail term for Japanese repeat upskirter

Taipei, Dec. 8 (CNA) Prosecutors on Monday sought a prison term of at least one year and six months for a Japanese man with multiple prior upskirting cases in Taipei after he was caught allegedly filming women in the capital last month.

The suspect, 33-year-old Takanori Sasaki, was arrested on Nov. 6 near Exit 3 of Zhongshan MRT Station after bystanders saw him with a phone hidden in his bag under a woman's skirt, the Shilin District Prosecutors Office said. The woman immediately contacted police, and a court later ordered his detention.

Shilin prosecutors said they were seeking the 18-month sentence to deter repeat offending, noting that Sasaki "showed no remorse" despite two similar incidents earlier this year -- one in June and another in August.

Under Taiwan's Criminal Code, he was charged with illegally recording sexual images.

Sasaki's first known offense occurred in June, when he allegedly used a GoPro to secretly film under a woman's skirt while riding an escalator at Exit R2 of the Zhongshan Underground Mall in downtown Taipei. He was arrested and detained during the investigation.

On July 21, the Shilin District Court sentenced him to four months in prison, commutable to a fine. He was released the next day, but barred from leaving Taiwan because he appealed the ruling. However, his appeal was rejected on Nov. 27, meaning the case was final.

Despite the travel ban, Sasaki was again suspected of upskirting in August, this time in the Ximending area. Witnesses again reported his behavior to police, and he was arrested at the scene.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted him in November, and that case is now before the Taipei District Court.

Sasaki was working for the agriculture, forestry and fisheries department of the Iwate Prefectural Government in Japan at the time of the first incident. The prefectural government later apologized publicly for his conduct.

The Shilin District Court will review the latest indictment and the prosecution's request for a prison term of no less than one year and six months.