TOKYO - A Thai girl who was 12 at the time was forced to work illegally at a massage parlor in Tokyo, leading the Metropolitan Police Department to rearrest the store’s operator as investigators continue to examine how the girl was trafficked to Japan.
Reporters traveled to Thailand to trace the circumstances that pushed her into unlawful work.
On Thai social media platforms, recruitment posts promoting jobs at Japanese sex-related businesses have been increasing, offering high earnings and encouraging travel to Japan. When reporters contacted a local broker advertising such work, the broker responded that “there are shops in Tokyo specializing in hidden massage services,” and assured prospective workers they could choose whichever shop was easiest for them.
Authorities rearrested Masayuki Hosono, 51, who operated a massage parlor in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, on suspicion of forcing a woman in her 30s to provide sexual services despite operating in a restricted area. At this same establishment, the 12-year-old Thai girl had been made to serve 61 customers over a period of just one month.
To understand the girl’s background, reporters visited her rural hometown five hours by car from central Bangkok. She lived in a small wooden shack without air-conditioning, sharing the space with her grandparents and younger sister. According to the grandmother, the girl’s mother was the sole breadwinner, supporting the entire family through overseas work.
The mother had traveled abroad 27 times, including to Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Thai social media now features numerous posts advertising short-term work in Japan for “60,000 baht in 14 days,” equivalent to roughly 300,000 yen. When reporters messaged one such broker, they were told a fee of 5,000 baht—about 25,000 yen—was required upfront.
When asked about work conditions in Japan, the broker said job types varied by shop and that some establishments required no massage skills at all. Despite being informed that the prospective worker did not have a visa, the broker insisted that a 15-day tourist visa would suffice, even though it is illegal to work in Japan under such status.
When approached while posing as a 17-year-old, the broker went further, saying that minors could also travel to Japan for work as long as preparations were made and shifts booked in advance, claiming the year-end period in Japan was especially busy.
Related: Thai Police Issue Arrest Warrant for Mother of 12-Year-Old Girl
Source: TBS
