The proprietor of a private massage parlor in Tokyo has been arrested for employing a 12-year-old girl of Thai nationality. It is believed the girl worked at the establishment for approximately one month, providing sexual services to around 60 male customers. Her mother who brought her to Japan in late June this year departed shortly afterwards, leaving the girl behind. She was found sleeping in the parlor’s kitchen.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Division arrested Masayuki Hosono (51), the proprietor of a private massage parlor, on suspicion of violating the Labour Standards Act (minimum age requirement).
According to the department, the girl was taken from the airport to the establishment on the day she arrived in Japan and instructed on how to provide sexual services to men. She reportedly stated, “I thought ‘I don’t want to, I don’t want to do this,’ but I felt I had to.” She also mentioned that customers sometimes demanded extreme services not listed on the menu list.
The girl is believed to have made over ¥600,000 in sales, with part of the proceeds going to the suspect Hosono and the remainder transferred to accounts held in the names of her mother’s associates. When she needed living expenses, the girl contacted her mother via social media, and the necessary amount was provided by the suspect. The division is investigating this as “malicious human trafficking”, also considering the possible involvement of intermediaries.
The girl sought help at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in September and was subsequently taken into protective custody, bringing the matter to light. Authorities, including the police, immigration services, and the embassy, are now coordinating efforts to facilitate the girl’s return to her home country.
