TOKYO - A 51-year-old man has been arrested for forcing a 12-year-old Thai girl to work illegally at a private massage parlor in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, in what police believe may be part of a human trafficking operation.
Tokyo police raided the establishment two days ago. The suspect, identified as Masayuki Hosono, is alleged to have employed the girl between June and July this year. The parlor’s website promoted “traditional Thai full-body care for a moment of relaxation,” but investigators say the business secretly offered sexual services late at night.
According to police, the girl entered Japan in June with her mother on a short-term visa. Her mother allegedly introduced her to the parlor and explained how to perform sexual massages.
The girl told investigators, “My mother worked in Japan and other countries doing sexual massage jobs. I didn’t want to do this with strange men, but I had to obey her.”
Two weeks after arriving, the mother left Japan. The girl was forced to sleep in a corner of the shop’s kitchen and was made to serve 61 customers over about a month, according to investigators.
The case came to light in mid-September when the girl went on her own to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau seeking help. She has since been taken into protective custody.
Police say the girl is the youngest victim ever identified in a foreign human trafficking case in Japan and are continuing to investigate the incident as part of efforts to uncover the broader network behind it.
Source: TBS
