This week in Japan, a sports clothing manufacturer announced it was testing a new sportswear line at the Paris Olympics. The clothing doesn’t aim to make athletes more comfortable or agile. Instead, it’s designed to protect female athletes from a chronic problem in women’s sports in Japan: men taking pictures of their undergarments with infrared photography.
Sexualizing of athletes: a years-long problem in Japan
While people laud Japan for its relatively low crime and safety, women often struggle to enjoy that sense of safety. One chronic issue is groping attacks, which go underreported – and which police often fail to take seriously when they are.
Another issue is non-consensual photography. Cases of non-consensual photos rose in 2023 to a record 5,700 incidents nationwide, with 80% of those crimes committed with smartphones. You can find signs in train stations throughout Japan – some warning women, others warning potential perps – about both types of attacks.
However, women athletes in Japan deal with their own unique form of sexual harassment. Some men show up to events featuring female athletes, not to enjoy the sport, but to take sexualized pictures of the competitors. In many cases, they explicitly target minors by showing up to take pics at middle and high school meets. They then post the photos anonymously on social media for other men to see – or, in some cases, sell them for profit.
Athletes themselves have spoken out in the press about how they find sexualized photography demeaning – and distracting. Former gymnast Tanaka Rie told TBS about how she could hear cameras clicking when she opened her legs to do a handstand on the parallel bars.
“I got angry and heated – those kind of emotions, you know? I thought, ‘I’m not competing here for you to take these sorts of pictures.'”
Local govs crack down on sexualized photos
In 2023, Japan passed a new law regulating nonconsensual photography. However, it didn’t include taking photos of female athletes with sexual intent, which the government deemed a grey area. In response, several local governments, such as Fukuoka Prefecture, have passed ordinances declaring picture taking of female athletes with sexual intent a form of sexual assault.
Last year, Kyoto filed charges against a 39-year-old public employee for persistently taking photos of the lower half of female athlete’s bodies as well as their breasts at the all-country Ekiden race. The man explicitly targeted high school and college athletes. Authorities found around 180 images in his camera when they arrested him. Kyoto previously prosecuted another man for a similar crime in 2021.
The infrared photography problem
However, some men have taken illicit photos of female athletes to a whole other level. They use infrared photography, which, when used with a special filter, can sometimes pick up shapes and outlines underneath clothing. That means if the athlete’s uniform is thin enough, voyeurs can snap pics showing the contours of their underwear.
Early reports of this form of assault go back to the start of the decade. A 2020 article in President ONLINE notes that, even then, some prefectures in Japan had moved to ban infrared photography altogether in a bid to keep adult and minor athletes safe. In 2021, former volleyball player Ootomo Ai said she’d fallen victim to infrared photos, as well as people trying to take photos in or near the women’s bathroom.
Sportswear manufacturer Cramer Japan reports fielding inquiries about infrared photography since 2022. At the time, the company said it was looking into designs to help protect female athletes from this new type of attack.
Mizuno’s anti-infrared clothing in use at Paris Olympics
While banning photography at sporting events in Japan helps, event organizers can’t catch every instance of illicit photography. It also doesn’t help athletes when they’re competing outside of Japan.
To give female athletes an additional layer of protection, Japanese sports clothing manufacturer Mizuno this week announced a new “anti-infrared” line of competitive sportswear. According to the manufacturer’s site, the new clothing uses material designed to absorb light in the infrared range. That renders the garment opaque not only under visible light. but under infrared light as well.
“Incorporating the newly developed infrared blocking fabric into sportswear can help reduce the number of athletes that fall victim to illicit infrared photography,” the company said in a statement on their Web site.
Mizuno is using the tech in the uniforms it’s designed for Japan’s volleyball team at next month’s Paris Summer Olympics. It’s incorporating the infrared-blocking fabric into the uniforms of six other teams, including the ping-pong and archery teams.
Mizuho’s new product is a good stopgap for times when event organizers can’t catch someone in the act of illicit photography. Sadly, it doesn’t address the root of the problem: men who think this behavior is acceptable in the first place.
Updated 1/18/2025: CHanged the description of how infrared photography works, as the previous description confused it with thermal photography.
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アスリートの性的盗撮…現役学生の証言「あ、撮られているなと」私服警察官に密着してわかる検挙の難しさ…声かけした怪しい男性の正体は？TBS News Dig
盗撮行為の検挙件数がおよそ5700件と最多更新 スマートフォンによる犯行がおよそ8割. TBS News Dig
Infrared blocking fabric developed to protect athletes from illicit photography. Mizuno
アスリート盗撮は「性暴力」。福岡県議会が条例改正案可決。高校女子選手の代理人「やましい気持ちなければ盗撮しない」. Huffington Post Japan
女性アスリート盗撮動画販売で逮捕者 サイトブロッキングが検討されるべきなのか. News Post Seven
盗撮から選手守る「衣装」…体操選手は自ら開発、バレーや卓球には赤外線吸収する新素材. Yomiuri Shimbun
女性陸上アスリート赤外線盗撮の卑劣手口 肌露出多めのウェア着ている選手が悪いのか？Newsweek
全国女子駅伝で下半身強調して撮影した疑い 京都の公務員を書類送検. Asahi Shimbun
元バレーボール選手・大友愛、隠し撮りに苦悩した過去語る 「客席から赤外線カメラで下着を透かして盗撮」. Abema Times
