Japan jails man for forcing Thai girl, 12, into sex work
A Japanese court on Tuesday sentenced a 52-year-old man to five years in prison and fined him 1 million yen (US$6,500) for forcing a 12-year-old Thai girl to provide sexual services at his private-room massage parlour in Tokyo. The Tokyo District Court found Masayuki Hosono guilty of violating the child welfare law, saying the owner of the establishment had created a disorderly workplace…
In a recent sentencing, a Japanese court handed down a five-year prison term and a 1 million yen fine to 52-year-old Masayuki Hosono for exploiting a 12-year-old Thai girl to engage in sex work at his Tokyo massage parlour. The Tokyo District Court ruled that Hosono had created a disorderly environment and failed to verify the minor's age, violating the child welfare law.
While condemning the girl's 30-year-old mother for pressuring her daughter into the sex trade, Judge Hiroshi Ikegami emphasized Hosono's role in causing the child immense emotional distress by forcing her to work abroad and practice sexual acts on him. Initially denying the charges, Hosono's lawyer argued that store manager Punsiripanya Phakhaphon, also on trial, was responsible for recruitment.
However, the judge dismissed this claim, citing Hosono's messages indicating his involvement in the process. The girl endured sexual services from June to August 2025, with the final sentencing of the mother to seven years and six months in prison in June.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
