KYOTO, Japan, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Japanese police have seized hundreds of pairs of shoes with built-in upskirt cameras by visiting buyers' homes and asking them to voluntarily give up the items.

Kyoto Prefectural Police said they received a list of about 1,500 customers when they raided a company July 1 specializing in the voyeuristic footwear, known as "tosatsu shoes," and they have since been visiting the homes of customers and asking them to voluntarily give up the shoes.


Police said they believe they have collected nearly all pairs of the shoes in Kyoto Prefecture, save for some said to have been thrown away. The customers were asked to surrender the shoes and fill out a "disposal request" that asked them to state why they purchased them.

Police said the company, which also sold camera supplies, had sold about 2,500 pairs of tosatsu shoes between 2012 and 2014. A 26-year-old company manager was charged with "aiding voyeurism," a violation of the nuisance prevention ordinance, and fined about $4,500.

Kyoto police said they are sharing data on customers outside of their jurisdiction with other law enforcement agencies and urging police in other areas to visit the homes of those buyers.