A Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) diplomat, Christopher Sim Siong Chye, has been officially dismissed from service after his conviction in Japan for lewd behaviour involving a minor.
The dismissal, announced via the Singapore government gazette on 2 April 2025, follows disciplinary proceedings initiated last year.
Sim, 56, was fined 300,000 yen (approximately S$2,700) by a Japanese court in 2024 after he was found guilty of secretly filming a naked 13-year-old boy in the changing room of a public bath in Tokyo.
He was convicted of trespassing and violating Tokyo’s Anti-Nuisance Ordinance, according to Kyodo News and NHK.
At the time of the offence, Sim had already completed his diplomatic posting in Tokyo and returned to Singapore. He did not have diplomatic immunity, as confirmed by MFA in a statement to Channel NewsAsia (CNA) in June 2024.
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that Sim had taken multiple naked photos of male customers in various public baths over six months.
When confronted by Japanese authorities in February 2024, he allegedly deleted more than 700 images from his phone on the spot.
Police were initially called after he was caught secretly filming the teenager in a changing room.
Despite police instructions, Sim reportedly refused to accompany them to the police station and only admitted to his actions later, after being questioned again.
He eventually returned to Japan in June 2024 for further investigation at the request of Japanese authorities.
According to a report by Yomiuri Shimbun, Sim told investigators, “I was unable to control my desires when I saw a man naked.” Asahi Shimbun also quoted him saying that he was “surprised by the Japanese public bath culture and became interested in baths”.
Sim did not voluntarily inform MFA of the incident.
The ministry only learned of the case on 1 May 2024 after being contacted by Japanese media. Upon inquiry, Sim acknowledged the incident.
He was immediately suspended from duty while MFA initiated internal disciplinary action.
A long-serving diplomat, Sim previously held posts at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo and the Permanent Mission in Geneva. He was awarded the Long Service Medal in 2016.
His dismissal marks a rare instance of formal termination in Singapore’s foreign service due to misconduct abroad.
MFA has not commented further beyond confirming the disciplinary action and stating that it expects the highest standards of conduct from its officers, whether at home or abroad.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats are generally granted immunity during their postings. However, this protection lapses once the official term concludes.
Sim’s case highlights the limits of such protections and the serious consequences of misconduct, even when committed overseas.
Singapore authorities have not announced any further legal action locally.
No additional charges have been filed in Singapore, and it is unclear if the government will pursue further investigation beyond the internal disciplinary measures.
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