Tokyo massage parlor owner held in suspected human trafficking of 12-year-old Thai girl

The man, Masayuki Hosono, 51, was arrested by Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of employing a girl aged 15 years or younger at his massage shop in the capital between June and July in violation of the labour standards law.

The girl was born in northern Thailand and used to live with her younger sister and grandparents, according to the police. The girl and her mother arrived at Hosono's shop on the same day, when they arrived in Japan in late June.

But the mother disappeared the day after the arrival. Then, the girl, who cannot speak Japanese, slept near the shop's kitchen and provided sexual services for customers at the shop. 

The girl reportedly told the police that her mother told her to work and wait at the shop until she came back to pick her up. She also said that she wanted to go home, but that she thought her family back in her country wouldn’t be able to survive, so she felt she had no choice but to endure. 

A young girl endured a life that felt like living in hell. Between June and July, she was forced to serve around 60 clients, earning over 600,000 yen. However, the money was transferred to an account belonging to a family acquaintance. Desperate to return home, she sought advice from Thai people in the area to find a way back to her country.

Despite warnings that she might be arrested, the girl decided to seek help from the Immigration Bureau in Tokyo on her own in September. This led to the exposure of the case. She told immigration officials, "I want to return to Thailand. I want to go back to middle school." She is now under the protection of Japanese authorities and is considered the "youngest human trafficking victim ever encountered by Japanese police."

This incident led to the arrest of a 30-year-old Thai woman who worked at the same establishment, charged with running a prostitution service in a prohibited area of the Yushima district. The business advertised "Thai massage," but there were clear signs in various websites and forums that sexual services were secretly offered.

The police are now investigating whether there is a trafficking syndicate behind the illegal importation of Thai women for prostitution in Japan.

Human trafficking is defined in the human trafficking protocol adopted by the United Nations in 2000 as acts such as transferring persons using violence for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labour.

According to the Japanese government’s annual report on human trafficking countermeasures released in August, 66 victims were protected last year, up from 61 the previous year, with about 90% having suffered sexual exploitation. Of those, 41 were under the age of 18.

On Friday, November 7, Pol. Maj. Gen. Witthaya Sriprasertphap, the Commander of the Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD), revealed that the Thai police have been coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding this case. The authorities are currently gathering factual information.

Initial findings suggest that the case involves human trafficking, as it relates to exploitation involving children and minors. The child is currently under the care of Japanese authorities, as investigations and victim identification procedures are underway.

Once the necessary procedures in Japan are completed and the victim is returned to Thailand, it will be the responsibility of the AHTD to receive the child and continue the investigation in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and other relevant agencies. This will include collecting evidence and pursuing legal action against both the Thai suspects and potentially Japanese accomplices.

Reports indicate that the victim’s mother, aged 29, has travelled abroad 27 times, including visits to countries such as Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan. The 12-year-old victim, on the other hand, has mostly been raised by relatives and has rarely lived with her mother.