Japan Police to Enhance Intl Cooperation Against Human Trafficking, Meet with Thai Authorities Following Case of Thai Girl

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:59 JST, February 2, 2026

The National Police Agency will dispatch a senior official to the Thai police to discuss countermeasures against human trafficking, following a case where a then 12-year-old Thai girl was forced to provide sexual services at a massage parlor with private rooms in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned from the agency.

The agency determined that strengthening cooperation with foreign authorities is necessary to prevent international human trafficking targeting the sexual exploitation of children.

The senior official will meet with the deputy chief of the Thai police and outline the current investigation status. The agency will also request support in uncovering the background of the operation as well as strengthened crackdowns on brokers targeting Japan.

The girl arrived in Japan with her mother last June on a 15-day short-term stay visa. She was left at the parlor and forced to perform sexual services for approximately 70 customers over about 40 days. After seeking help from the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, last September, she was placed under protection.

Thai police transferred the mother, who had been detained in Taiwan, back to Thailand and arrested her on suspicion of human trafficking and other charges. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested a Thai woman in Tokyo on suspicion of violating Japan’s Child Welfare Law for hiring the girl through her mother.

Human trafficking involves forcing labor or sexual exploitation through violence, threats, or other coercive means. For victims under 18, the means used are irrelevant. International criticism of Japan’s response is severe, with the U.S. State Department’s report calling measures against child sexual exploitation insufficient. In January this year, the Japanese government instructed all ministries and agencies to revise their action plans against human trafficking.

The National Police Agency is expected to formally classify this case, which exploited the girl’s vulnerable position, as human trafficking, and plans to advance countermeasures including victim protection.

Meanwhile, the short-term stay visa exemption status for entry from certain countries and regions is being abused for crimes including special fraud and prostitution. The agency views this as a breeding ground for crimes by “anonymous and fluid criminal groups,” known as “tokuryu” in Japanese, within Japan and overseas, and is working with foreign authorities to fully uncover the situation.