79 minors harmed by AI-generated sexual deepfake images in Japan in first nine months of 2025
Japan's National Police Agency reported 79 cases of minors whose images were edited into sexual deepfake content between January and September 2025, with over half of perpetrators identified as classmates at the same school. Generative AI tools were used in at least 17.7 percent of confirmed cases, and four cases resulted in arrests.
What happened
Between January and September 2025, Japan's National Police Agency received 79 reports of minors whose images were edited into sexual deepfake content. According to the agency, about 80 percent of victims were middle or high school students, with 4 cases involving elementary school pupils.
In about 17.7 percent of cases, generative AI was used to create the sexual images; the means were unidentified in approximately 80 percent of cases but are believed to have involved AI. One case involved a male middle school student editing a female classmate's image to appear nude and selling it to other students. Another case involved a male middle school student editing photos of female classmates from an event album into sexual images and sharing them with peers.
Reported impact
Over half of the 79 cases involved perpetrators who were students at the same school as the victims. Four cases resulted in arrests on suspicion of defamation and other charges, with six cases leading to guidance or counselling.
Index analysis
The National Police Agency published these figures for the first time, having previously reported 110 complaints in 2024. The agency attributed the increase in cases to advances in AI technology and misuse of graduation album photos and other images of children.
Governance controls
The government announced in September 2025 a roadmap for child and youth internet safety measures, with plans to gather further data on sexual deepfakes and finalise concrete countermeasures by the end of fiscal year 2026.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.