KONOSU, Saitama Prefecture--A private business is involved in another public uproar, this time over its planned photoshoot event featuring female models posing in school uniforms and “yukata” at a former municipal elementary school here.

The event, involving about 120 women photographed almost all day long, was scheduled from Aug. 13 to 15.

Residents have vehemently opposed the plan, saying it is “inappropriate to provide sexual entertainment in a school building where children were studying not long ago.”

The venue is Kasahara Elementary School in Konosu, Saitama Prefecture. The school closed at the end of fiscal 2021.

The Konosu city government has been renting out the old school building to general corporations, groups and individuals to make effective use of the abandoned educational facility.

The city’s regulations regarding the rental of the building ban events that are “offensive to public order and morals” or involve “religious or political use.”

The private business hosting the photoshoot has paid the fee to rent the old school building from the city.

But the business is one of the operators that came under fire for organizing a swimsuit photoshoot event at a Saitama prefectural park in 2023 and letting participants take overtly revealing photos.

Such swimsuit events had been held frequently at certain parks in the prefecture, but citizens complained that the models were being photographed in extreme poses, and some of them were under the age of 18.

The Saitama parks association ordered six businesses planning to hold such events to cancel the swimsuit photoshoots. And it imposed stricter rules concerning the models.

The business, on its website, explained there will be no swimsuit models at the event at the former school.

The Konosu government said it received the application from the business for the school rental in May. It also said it is aware that the business was involved in a swimsuit photoshoot event.

The city said it examined the pros and cons of renting the school building to the business, and it decided that the event was within the scope of “freedom of expression” because there would be no photos of women in swimsuits.

The municipal government also cited a precedent, saying the city of Tachikawa, western Tokyo, allowed a school uniform photoshoot event at an old school building, and there were no problems at that time.

Konosu city also said it has asked the business to submit a written pledge to immediately cancel the event if a model exposes excessive skin.

But such explanations have not convinced people in the neighborhood of the former school.

“Until just two years ago, it was a place for children to study,” a resident said. “The sentiment of residents is, ‘This is unacceptable.’”

In early August, a group of residents, several city council members and representatives of civic organizations visited the city government and demanded the scrapping of the photoshoot.

However, the city responded, “It is not an event that we can say ‘no’ to.”

One of the city council members said: “The combination of young women, cosplay school uniforms, and a real-life school building probably gives (this event) a sexual commodity value. The local government should not be involved.”

The municipal Kasahara Elementary School opened in 1873 and had a history of nearly 150 years.

In 2015, the city decided to close the school due to the decreasing number of children in the area.

But residents demanded the continuation of the school, and it took about six years until the official decision to close the school was made.

The residents’ opposition to the photoshoot event appears related to those circumstances, too.

Residents have held various events on the grounds of the former school from time to time, including ground golf, youth baseball and citizens’ market.

The city conducted a survey three years ago, asking residents how the old school building and grounds should be used.

Many residents responded that they wanted facilities for elderly care, sports or sales of agricultural products.

As the birthrate declines and closures of public elementary and junior high schools accelerate across Japan, one of the issues facing local governments is how to make use of the empty school buildings and schoolyards.

Some of the sites have attracted producers of films and TV dramas. Companies are also using the former schools for satellite offices.