Did you know that in Japan, cameras on phones have to have an audible shutter? In other words, when you take a photo in Japan with a smartphone, it goes click, and it’s impossible to mute it, at least not without hacking the phone in some way. In fact, the sound plays even if the phone is in silent or vibration mode.

Why such an annoying ‘feature’, you might ask.

The main purpose is to prevent photography without permission, especially photos taken without consent. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Japan saw a rise in secretly taking photos under people’s clothing, often in crowded spaces such as on trains and escalators, or in busy areas. This is known as ’tosatsu’ (盗撮), literally ’stolen photographs’. At the same time as this, camera phones were becoming increasingly common, making it easier to take pictures discreetly. Concerned that silent cameras on mobile phones would make tosatsu easier, mobile carriers agreed that phones sold in Japan should always emit a shutter sound when taking photos, ignoring silent mode for the camera. The practice spread across the industry and became effectively universal.

Interestingly, though, even now there is no single national law that specifically requires smartphone cameras to make a shutter sound. The most relevant law is the Act on the Prevention and Punishment of Sexual Crimes, which criminalizes acts such as secretly photographing a person’s underwear or body without consent, or distributing such images. It’s interesting to think that even without a specific law, local social issues have shaped everyday technology in this way.

I’d say that the click of a smartphone camera is just accepted now in Japan, even in places such as museums where you might think it would be intrusive. Even so, I’m grateful to note that when I travel back to the UK, as soon as my iPhone realises it’s outside of Japan, it respects the silent mode settings, turning off the camera ‘click’ as appropriate. It does make taking photographs in churches and cathedrals, which is something I like to do a lot when I’m back in the UK, much easier.