Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves coaxing victims to send intimate photographs or videos online and then threatening to make them public if the person does not pay money or engage in sexual favours.
Paps, a Tokyo-based NGO, reported 2,200 consultations linked to sextortion as of late November for the 2025 financial year, more than a fourfold increase compared with 2023.
The group, which supports victims of sexual violence, said a surge in US sextortion cases prompted it to offer counselling services in October 2022, handling 528 incidents through the 2023 financial year.
Paps added that most victims were male and aged under 18, and issued a stark warning: “Deleting sent images is impossible. Never send them.”
“Young men’s sexual excitement is exploited, impairing their ability to make sound judgments,” said Kazuna Kanajiri, the organisation’s chief director.
“Even if images have been sent, do not pay any money and cut off contact.”
