Osaka police refer former trainee doctor to prosecutors over secret filming of pregnant woman

Osaka Prefectural Police have finalised the decision to submit case documents to prosecutors against a former trainee doctor, following an investigation into allegations of surreptitious recording. The suspect is accused of using a small camera concealed within a wristwatch to film a pregnant woman on a delivery bed.

The incident is alleged to have occurred last year at a hospital in Shiga Prefecture, where the individual had been dispatched as a trainee. Police sources confirmed the submission of documents to NHK News Japan on 10 June 2026.

According to the police report, the suspect is accused of capturing images of a woman in the final stages of labour while she was positioned on a delivery bed. The method of surveillance reportedly involved a miniature camera integrated into the strap or face of a wristwatch worn by the doctor.

The suspect is identified in the report as a former trainee doctor, indicating that they are no longer in active training or employment at the facility at the time of this legal development. The specific identity of the individual has not been publicly released in the provided source material.

The case remains under judicial review as the documents are submitted for prosecution rather than concluding with a conviction. Police sources cited the suspicion of the offence, noting that the legal process is now moving from the investigative phase to the prosecutorial stage.