27 Human trafficking victims rescued in Japan in 2018

May 24, 2019

Tokyo--A total of 27 people were taken into protective custody as victims of human trafficking in Japan in 2018, down by 19 from the previous year, the government said Friday.

Of the total, the number of Japanese victims dropped by 10 to 18.

"Human trafficking is still rampant and no optimism is warranted," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a government meeting.

At the meeting, Suga called for increased awareness campaigns and multilingual consultation services to prevent visitors from abroad from becoming victims of human trafficking.

The number of people visiting Japan has been increasing. In addition, Japan introduced a new visa program in April to accept more foreign workers to address labor shortages.

Suga also called on police and immigration officials to step up efforts to identify and rescue victims at an early stage. Jiji Press