Two primary school teachers in Japan have been arrested for taking and sharing indecent images of young girls in a private chat group, exposing a troubling pattern of abuse within the country's education system.

The arrested men, aged 42 and 37, were teachers at public schools in Nagoya and Yokohama respectively.

According to police, the two admitted to taking photos and videos of girls under the age of 13 and distributing them in a social media group that included eight other primary and junior high school teachers.

Authorities say the group was managed by one of the arrested suspects. The disturbing material shared included upskirt images, videos of girls changing clothes, and digitally altered images or "deepfakes" made from girls’ headshots.

Some of the footage appeared to have been captured inside school premises, though police have not confirmed whether the schools involved were the ones where the teachers worked.

The existence of the group chat came to light after one member was arrested for a separate incident involving a 15-year-old girl.

Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that he had "deposited bodily fluids" on the girl's backpack, prompting a forensic search of his phone. This search led investigators to uncover the group chat and its contents.

Japan has only recently updated its sex crime laws. In May 2023, the country passed new legislation banning the filming of children "in a sexual manner without justifiable reason" and outlawing upskirting and secret filming of sexual acts.

The 2023 reforms also raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 and expanded the legal definition of rape, following public outrage over a series of rape acquittals in 2019.

Under the new law, individuals found guilty of taking or distributing such images face up to three years in prison or fines of up to 3 million yen (about $20,800).

Police are still investigating whether other members of the chat group will face charges, and whether more victims were involved.