A JAPANESE man has been charged for allegedly producing child pornography after he was arrested over the weekend in Sihanoukville taking pictures of naked boys, a police official said Tuesday.

Shunichi Nakagawa, 32, was arrested Sunday while photographing at least six Cambodian boys between the ages of 11 and 15 at O'Tres beach, said Chor Heng, Sihanoukville deputy police commissioner.

Nakagawa was ordered detained Tuesday by the Sihanoukville Municipal Court after prosecutors filed child pornography charges, Chor Heng added.

Nakagawa had paid the boys between US$2 and $5 each to pose naked, according to Be Sivanna, director of the Ministry of Interior's Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Office in Sihanoukville, who added that Nakagawa had entered Cambodia as a tourist on August 6.

He said Nakagawa had first photographed the boys on Saturday and arranged to meet again the following day, by which time local authorities had been tipped off by area residents who had witnessed Nakagawa snapping pictures of the children.

"If found guilty, he could face between five and 10 years in prison," Be Sivanna said.

Sihanoukville court prosecutor Meas Phireak said he could not elaborate on the charges since it could affect the court's investigation.

Chan Chamroeun, an investigator based in Sihanoukville for local human rights group Adhoc, said only two of the children's parents had lodged an official complaint with police.

The other parents said it was not unusual for young boys to be naked in public and receive money from tourists for allowing them to take their picture. 

"Police have confirmed that there are naked photos of the boys on Nakagawa's camera." Chan Chamroeun told the Post.

Koji Tanaka, second secretary at the Japanese embassy in Phnom Penh, confirmed that the embassy had sent officials to Sihanoukville Tuesday to respond to the matter.

Additional reporting by Chrann Chamroeun