Tokyo police have obtained an arrest warrant for the mother of a Thai girl on suspicion of violating the child welfare law by forcing the daughter to work at an erotic massage parlor, investigative sources said Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police Department is also looking at a human trafficking possibility, as the mother, in her 20s, is believed to have handed over her daughter to the private-room massage parlor in the capital's Bunkyo Ward with the understanding that the girl would be compelled to provide sexual services, the sources said, adding that investigators will find out whether brokers, or other people, were involved.
According to the MPD, the mother brought her 12-year-old daughter to Japan in late June and taught the daughter how to perform sexual services on arrival at the parlor. Sleeping around the shop's kitchen, the girl dealt with about 60 customers in roughly a month. Part of the money she earned was transferred to an account linked to the mother.
The incident came to light after the girl sought help from the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau in September.
Earlier this month, the police arrested the parlor's manager, Masayuki Hosono, 51, for allegedly employing a person below the minimum working age, a violation of the labor standards law. Meanwhile, the mother has been detained in Taiwan.
On Wednesday, the MPD had talks with a visiting senior Thai police official on how to handle the case.
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