Japanese Broadcaster Fired for Texting Penis Photo to Thai Government Line Chat

BANGKOK – Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi apologized on Saturday after its Bangkok bureau chief posted an image of his genitals on a mobile forum set up by the Thai Foreign Ministry, which warned of “Consequences”.

A spokesman for the channel said The journalist, who identified himself online as Jin Morimoto and was reportedly the incoming bureau chief for Asahi television in Tokyo has been removed from the job due to his “extremely inappropriate” behavior.

The ministry demanded an explanation for the graphic picture that appeared late Monday on a Line mobile messaging app account that had been set up specially for foreign journalists working in Thailand.

“We deeply apologize to the Thai foreign ministry and other people concerned,” the spokesman said, adding that the journalist had been urged to “seriously reflect” on the incident.

Japanese media said the bureau chief, who is in his forties, had meant to send the picture to a female friend, but instead uploaded it through Line to about 150 journalists who belong to the forum.

He left the forum immediately after the incident, prompting a warning that “actions will be taken” from a ministry official and a vomiting emoji from one group member as a few others in the forum questioned what had just happened.

“May we remind you that this [forum] is for official purposes. Actions will be taken,” the ministry official said. “Just leaving the room does not mean this action won’t have consequences.”

Cases of “sexting,” or sending sexually explicit images by phone, have exploded with the prevalence of smartphones and other mobile devices.

In one of the best known incidents, Anthony Weiner quit the US House of Representatives in 2011 after confessing that he used social media to send sexually explicit pictures of himself to a number of women.