Human trafficking in Japan

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Human trafficking in Japan
Nakasuhakata01.jpg
Red-light districts are popular hangouts for sex workers. [1] (Nakasu, Fukuoka)
Sources Japan, China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Post-Soviet states, Latin America
Perpetrators Snakehead, Yakuza, [2] Russian mafia, Triads, Iranian gangs, [3] Nigerian gangs, American gangs

According to the United States' State Department, Japan is a major destination, source, and transit country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Victims of human trafficking include male and female migrant workers, women and children lured to Japan by fraudulent marriages and forced into prostitution, as well as Japanese nationals, "particularly runaway teenage girls and foreign-born children of Japanese citizens who acquired nationality." 'According to the 2024 U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report, The Government of Japan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.' [4]

Contents

U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2024. [5] Japan ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol on July 11, 2017. [6]

In 2005 Irene Khan, then the Secretary General of Amnesty International, stated that the country received the largest number of trafficked persons globally, with the most common points of origin of victims being Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. [7]

History

Karayuki-san was the name given to Japanese girls and women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who were trafficked from poverty stricken agricultural prefectures in Japan to destinations in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Siberia (Russian Far East), Manchuria, and British India to serve as prostitutes and sexually serviced men from a variety of races, including Chinese, Europeans, native Southeast Asians, and others.

Sex trafficking

Japanese and foreign [8] [9] women and girls have been victims of sex trafficking in Japan. They are raped in brothels and other locations and experience physical and psychological trauma.[ dubious discuss ] [10] [11] [12]

Labor trafficking

Japan has a declining population, and is therefore experiencing an extreme labor shortage. As a result, it is an attractive destination for foreign migrant workers, especially from South East Asian countries. Many workers enter the country on a student visa as part of the Technical Intern Training Program, [13] a government sanctioned program where workers can learn a trade while earning a living. The original intent of the program was positive, but due to many loopholes there is widespread exploitation of the vulnerability of workers. The government has now decided to abandon the program, [14] but it will take several years to implement the changes and critics are not convinced that it will solve the problem.

Child trafficking in Japan

The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Japan take the form of exploiting children under 18 for prostitution or child sexual abuse material. [15] Increasingly, children are also the victims of online sextortion, coerced into producing nude images or videos of themselves and then extorted for money or more images. These images may be sold online or on the dark web. [16]

The sexual objectification of children through manga, anime and other art forms is normalized in society, and the general public does not consider it to contribute to the physical exploitation of children. This kind of content is not illegal in Japan. [17]

In performing arts, sexual objectification of children is also normalized in the country's J-POP Idol industry. The decades long sex trafficking of Japanese boys by Johnny Kitagawa was exposed in a BBC documentary [18] in 2023, and came as a huge shock to the nation. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Prostitution in Chile is legal, subject to regulation, but related activities such as keeping brothels and pimping are prohibited. Several hundred women were registered as prostitutes with the National Health Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Bangladesh</span>

Prostitution is legal and regulated in Bangladesh. Prostitutes must register and state an affidavit stating that they are entering prostitution of their own free choice and that they are unable to find any other work. Bangladeshi prostitutes often suffer poor social conditions and are frequently socially degraded.

Uruguay ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in March 2005.

The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, officially designated as Republic Act No. 9208, is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2444 and House Bill No. 4432. It was enacted and passed by Congress of the Philippines' Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines assembled on May 12, 2003, and signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on May 26, 2003. It institutes policies to eliminate and punish human trafficking, especially women and children, establishing the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons. It aims "to promote human dignity, protect the people from any threat of violence and exploitation, and mitigate pressures for involuntary migration and servitude of persons, not only to support trafficked persons but more importantly, to ensure their recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the mainstream of society."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking</span> Trade of humans for exploitation

Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. It is considered a serious violation of human rights and a form of modern slavery. Efforts to combat human trafficking involve international laws, national policies, and non-governmental organizations.

Lebanon ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in October 2005.

Human trafficking in Canada is prohibited by law, and is considered a criminal offence whether it occurs entirely within Canada or involves the "transporting of persons across Canadian borders. Public Safety Canada (PSC) defines human trafficking as "the recruitment, transportation, harbouring and/or exercising control, direction or influence over the movements of a person in order to exploit that person, typically through sexual exploitation or forced labour. It is often described as a modern form of slavery."

Sex trafficking in Thailand is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sex trafficking. Sexual exploitation of children is a problem, close to 40,000 children under the age of 16 are believed to be in the sex trade, working in clubs, bars, and brothels.

Belgium is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor and forced prostitution. Victims originate in Eastern Europe, Africa, East Asia, as well as Brazil and India. Some victims are smuggled through Belgium to other European countries, where they are subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution. Male victims are subjected to forced labor and exploitation in restaurants, bars, sweatshops, horticulture sites, fruit farms, construction sites, and retail shops. There were reportedly seven Belgian women subjected to forced prostitution in Luxembourg in 2009. According to a 2009 ECPAT Report, the majority of girls and children subjected to forced prostitution in Belgium originate from Balkan and CIS countries, Eastern Europe, Asia and West Africa ; some young foreign boys are exploited in prostitution in major cities in the country. Local observers also report that a large portion of children trafficked in Belgium are unaccompanied, vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees. Criminal organizations from Thailand use Thai massage parlors in Belgium, which are run by Belgian managers, to sexually exploit young Thai women. These networks are involved in human smuggling and trafficking to exploit victims economically and sexually. Belgium is not only a destination country, but also a transit country for children to be transported to other European country destinations.

Human trafficking in Nepal is a growing criminal industry affecting multiple other countries beyond Nepal, primarily across Asia and the Middle East. Nepal is mainly a source country for men, women and children subjected to the forced labor and sex trafficking. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2017.

In 2009 Mauritius was not a major source for children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically conditions of forced prostitution within the country. Secondary school-age girls and, to a lesser extent, younger girls from all areas of the country, including from Rodrigues Island, were induced into prostitution, often by their peers, family members, or businessmen offering other forms of employment. Taxi drivers were known to provide transportation and introductions for both the girls and the clients. Girls and boys whose mothers engaged in prostitution were reportedly forced into prostitution at a young age. Some drug-addicted women were forced into prostitution by their boyfriends, who serve as their pimps. In Great Britain, two Malagasy nationals were convicted in 2009 of holding a small number of Mauritian nationals, as well as citizens of other countries, in conditions of forced labor; this appeared to be an isolated case of transnational human trafficking involving Mauritian citizens. Students from all over the world were forced into prostitution within the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking in China</span>

China is a main source and also a significant transit and destination country for men, women, and children who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labour and forced prostitution. Women and children from China are trafficked to Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America, predominantly Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour. Women and children from Myanmar, Vietnam, Mongolia, former USSR, North Korea, Romania, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Ghana are trafficked to China for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour.

Egypt ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in March 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Europe</span>

Sex trafficking is defined as the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and/or forced into exploitative and slavery-like conditions and is commonly associated with organized crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking in Texas</span>

Human trafficking in Texas is the illegal trade of human beings as it occurs in the state of Texas. It is a modern-day form of slavery and usually involves commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor, both domestic and agricultural.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking in Southeast Asia</span>

Human trafficking in Southeast Asia has long been a problem for the area and is still prevalent today. It has been observed that as economies continue to grow, the demand for labor is at an all-time high in the industrial sector and the sex tourism sector. A mix of impoverished individuals and the desire for more wealth creates an environment for human traffickers to benefit in the Southeast Asia region. Many nations within the region have taken preventive measures to end human trafficking within their borders and punish traffickers operating there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in the United States</span>

Sex trafficking in the United States is a form of human trafficking which involves reproductive slavery or commercial sexual exploitation as it occurs in the United States. Sex trafficking includes the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and/or force into exploitative and slavery-like conditions. It is commonly associated with organized crime.

Sex trafficking in China is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the People's Republic of China. It is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in Japan is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the country. Japan is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

References

  1. "Eliminating criminal organizations from red-light districts all over the country, formulating a reforming plan", December 13, 2004, Yahoo! News (in Japanese)
  2. "Snakeheads in the Garden of Eden: Immigrants, Smuggling, and Threats to Social Order in Japan", H. Richard Friman
  3. "May 2001 Newspaper Headlines", Hokuriku Economic Federation(in Japanese)
  4. "Japan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  5. "Japan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  6. "Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime". United Nations Treaty Collection Archived 2014-10-01 at the Wayback Machine . United Nations Treaty Collection (2014).
  7. "Amnesty Secretary General expects Japan's human rights awareness improving", June 6, 2005, Livedoor News (in Japanese)
  8. "Seven Cambodians Rescued in Sex Trafficking Bust in Japan". VOA. January 24, 2017.
  9. "Why are foreign women continuing to be forced into prostitution in Japan?". Mainichi Daily News. June 10, 2017.
  10. "The Sexual Exploitation of Young Girls in Japan Is 'On the Increase,' an Expert Says". Time. October 29, 2019.
  11. "For vulnerable high school girls in Japan, a culture of 'dates' with older men". The Washington Post. May 16, 2017.
  12. "Schoolgirls for sale: why Tokyo struggles to stop the 'JK business'". The Guardian. June 15, 2019.
  13. "What is the Technical Intern Training Program? | Supporting the efficient operation of the Technical Intern Training Program | Japan International Trainee & Skilled Worker Cooperation Organization (JITCO)". www.jitco.or.jp. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  14. Benoza, Kathleen (2024-02-09). "Japan to end technical intern program and allow transfers to new jobs". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  15. "Japan". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  16. "Podcast | ZOE Japan-Let's Stop Child Trafficking!". ZOE Japan English. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  17. "Japan". ECPAT. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  18. "Japan's J-pop predator - exposed for abuse but still revered". 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  19. "Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse: Japan's worst kept secret". 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2024-12-18.