Japanese Victims of Human Trafficking Log Another Record High

February 8, 2018

Tokyo- The number of Japanese who became victims of human trafficking in their home country totaled 28 in 2017, hitting another record high, National Police Agency data showed Thursday.

The figure was highest since 2001, the earliest year for which the statistics remain. Last year saw the number increase by three from the previous record set in 2016.

The total number of victims, including those from other countries, stood at 42 in 2017, down for the second straight year, according to the NPA data.

Of the Japanese victims, 23 people, or about 80 pct, were minors. More than half of them were high school girls of 18 who ended up forced to appear in pornographic videos and do other work by applying for jobs as cosplay models online.

Last year, foreign victims numbered 14, of whom seven came from Thailand, five from the Philippines and one each from Vietnam and Brazil.

Japanese authorities uncovered 46 human trafficking cases in 2017, up by two from the previous year. Thirty suspects, including 25 Japanese nationals, were accused of violating the immigration, amusement business or other laws.

Internet sites and other online channels have made it easier to get acquainted with people engaged in human trafficking, and young people are particularly vulnerable, agency officials said. Jiji Press