Clinical psychologist Tsuyoshi Oguro, left, and others are seen in Fukuoka Prefecture on Jan. 21, 2021. A team of six mental health workers and psychiatrists including Oguro work to treat those seeking help through the prefecture's consultation service. (Mainichi/Akira Iida)

       FUKUOKA -- A consultation service for perpetrators of sexual violence and those suffering from problematic sexual behavior has been launched in the western Japan prefecture of Fukuoka, which has a high incidence of sexual crimes.

       The Osaka Prefectural Government has also opened a consultation service for people who have been criminally punished for sex crimes, but the Fukuoka Prefectural Government is the first local government in Japan to provide consultations regardless of whether or not a person has committed a sexual crime.

       "Can you tell me how you felt at the time?" asked Tsuyoshi Oguro, a 50-year-old clinical psychologist, as he faced a man in an undisclosed location in Fukuoka Prefecture. Ogura chooses his words carefully to find out the mental state that makes the man, who can't stop taking sneak footage, feel sexual desires and stress.

       The man hesitantly said, "I was sick of being bored every day," showing a glimpse of how he tends to seek extraordinary experiences to escape reality. Oguro lets the man continue, since he believes that the first step of treatment is for those seeking help to share their thoughts on sexual matters with others without hesitation.

       Clinical psychologist Tsuyoshi Oguro, who continues to provide guidance for improving the behavior of people imprisoned for sex crimes at Saga Juvenile Prison, is seen in the city of Saga on April 19, 2021. (Mainichi/Akira Iida)

       Oguro is one of the counselors at the "sexual violence perpetrator counseling service" established by the Fukuoka Prefectural Government. The prefecture, which had the second highest number of recognized sexual crimes per 100,000 of the population in Japan for nine consecutive years until 2018, enacted the "sexual violence eradication ordinance" in 2019. The launch of the consultation service was based on the ordinance, with the idea of supporting the rehabilitation of perpetrators so as not to create new victims at the core of the measure.

       According to the prefecture, by the end of October 2021 -- 1 1/2 years after launching the service -- officials had provided consultations for 150 cases involving people ranging from those between 10 and 19 to those in their 60s. The consultations are totally private, and the location where sessions are held is not open to the public, and is only conveyed to those seeking help when they make appointments.

       A psychiatric social worker or a clinical psychologist will first provide consultations to those seeking assistance, and if necessary, Oguro and others then provide counseling. Of those involved in the 150 cases, 75 people are currently receiving counseling, which lasts from half a year to a year. Most of them are in their 30s and 40s, and the majority of the problematic acts involve camera voyeurism.

       Sex crimes, often referred to as "murder of the soul," particularly spark calls for heavy punishment for the perpetrators, and Fukuoka Prefecture was apparently prepared to receive public criticism as a local government launching support for perpetrators. However, it reportedly has not received any complaints about launching the service. A person in charge said they "found out there are a certain number of people needing support to discuss sexual matters that they couldn't discuss with anyone else."

       Oguro has been treating more than 30 people through the service for the past year and a half. "The challenge is how to make up for the lack of 'empathy,' which makes them unable to be considerate toward others or control themselves when they know they are doing something bad," he said.

       The program Oguro recommends is conducted at least six times over 2 months. Near the end, Oguro says the topic gradually shifts from sexual issues to how to live peacefully in the real world, and "there tends to be remarkable improvement."

       But since he can only provide counseling as part of the prefecture's efforts during the day on weekdays, there are many cases in which people seeking guidance start visiting less often or stop coming due to their work schedules and other reasons. The limits of local governments' endeavors, which rely on self-initiated efforts, have also become apparent.

       Oguro, who is counseling perpetrators at both a correctional facility and through the prefecture's service, explained, "Collaboration between the two bodies is indispensable. Since it is difficult for perpetrators of sex crimes to build a close relationship with others, it is necessary for supporters to approach them."

       The consultation service can be reached at 092-289-9398 (in Japanese).

       (Japanese original by Akira Iida and Ken Nakazato, Kyushu News Department)

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