Google Street View has captured the imagination of the Net users worldwide with its novelty and functionality. However, Japanese are not amused. They are plainly concerned over the invasion of privacy by the Google mapping service.

Google Japan is facing a slew of malevolent secondary use of Google Street View images, reports Examiner.com.

A few Japanese has complained that Google Japan took photos of not only street views but also people’s faces, interior of houses and car license number plates, without permission. All these would have gone unnoticed, if these images were not used by the dark elements of the society with ulterior motives.

Google Japan launched Street View in 2008 and it covers cities in and around Tokyo and Osaka. As complaints swelled, Google Japan was forced to replace many images with newer ones take from increased heights.

This continuous stream of complaints has forced Google Japan to set up a forum to receive complaints. Citizens can report misuse of images in secondary and non-Google sites. When a complaint is received, Google Japan will send a request to the site to remove it. If the site is not complying, legal action will be taken and the site will be blocked out in Google Japan’s Search Results.

The growing menace has forced Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to get involved. It has asked Google Japan to seek permission before taking photos. It has also asked Google Japan to provide alternate method for registering complaints for those without Internet access.