Child sexual deepfakes in Japan more than double in first half of 2026
Police handled 123 such cases in the six months, exceeding both the 60 recorded a year earlier and the 114 logged in all of 2025.
In Japan, cases of child sexual abuse material created using deepfakes more than doubled in the first half of 2026, according to the National Police Agency. The agency reported 123 such cases, surpassing the 60 cases from the previous year and the 114 cases from all of 2025. The rise underscores the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence and its enhanced image-editing capabilities.
Junior high school students comprised the majority of victims, with 79 cases, followed by high school students with 38 cases, and three elementary school pupils and three others with undetermined backgrounds. In 83 instances, the suspected perpetrators were classmates or students from the same school as the victims. Seven cases involved individuals who had interacted with the victims via social media or other online platforms.
Police also uncovered four cases where children were secretly photographed in public and then had their images manipulated into sexually explicit content. As of June, two suspects had been referred to prosecutors, and investigations into other cases were ongoing. The agency pledged to intensify public awareness campaigns on the unlawful use of AI while continuing to pursue criminal investigations and crackdowns on these offenses.
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