The Justice Ministry plans to tighten its visa screening of foreign women entering Japan as dancers and singers in an effort to prevent crime syndicates from forcing them into prostitution, ministry officials said Thursday.
The decision comes amid growing international criticism of Japan's poor efforts to combat human trafficking.
In its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, released in June, the U.S. State Department put Japan on a special watch list of countries that are on the verge of falling into the worst category.