50 rescued from human traffickers in Japan in 2016

Awaiting comments claiming that since some women choose to prostitute themselves, no one could possibly be "forced" into anything. Or quibbling over the age of consent or how those Filipino women were just looking for a fast buck in a rich country or the Japanese girls another Louis Vuitton bag.

jcapan Today 08:07 am JST

I am wondering how anyone can be "forced into prostitution through online dating sites."

"Many of the Japanese victims were forced into prostitution..."

Long history of doing this...

CH3CHO: "I am wondering how anyone can be "forced into prostitution through online dating sites."..."

Long history of denial.

This is a major area of underworld activity and should be harshly cracked down upon.

smithinjapan Today 09:11 am JST

CH3CHO: "I am wondering how anyone can be "forced into prostitution through online dating sites."

Long history of denial.

Why do you take my question as a "denial"? Tell me how anyone can force prostitution though an online site.

Awaiting comments claiming that since some women choose to prostitute themselves, no one could possibly be "forced" into anything.

You didn't have to wait long mate!

Long history of denial.

Yup

Do you think these girls are freelance workers? That their yak-pimps aren't running these sites, arranging the meetings, driving the girls to and from or hosting johns at friendly hotels right next to their seedy offices.

"13 were aged 17 or younger"

I mean, at what point can you acknowledge victims. If they were 14, 12, 10? Give me a number. I'm sure this will be lost on commenters like you, but here's another vain attempt at humanizing these women:

"There is a set group of traits associated with a higher risk of becoming trafficked for sexual exploitation. Persons at risk include homeless and runaway youth, foreign nationals (especially those of lower socioeconomic status), and those who have experienced physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, violent trauma, neglect, poor academic success, and inadequate social skills. Also, a study on a group of female sex workers in Canada found that 64 percent of the women had been in the child welfare system as children (this includes foster and group homes). This research conducted by Kendra Nixon illustrates how children in or leaving foster care are at a higher risk of becoming a sex worker."

But by all means, keep telling yourself every hooker is happy.

i wonder with the foreigners, if they are deported, how do they pay back the money to the snakeheads?

jcapan Today 10:33 am JST

That their yak-pimps aren't running these sites, 

So? If what you say is true and pimps have nothing to do with the sites, how can anyone forced to prostitute through such sites?

This report was meant to "raise public awareness", but I get the impression that it gives more confusion than awareness. You cited a Canadian report and that is better than Japanese one. By reading the Canadian report, one can understand homeless, runaway, illegal immigrants, and children in welfare system are vulnerable. It does raise awareness. But the Japanese one puts blame on "online dating sites". What kind of lessons can be drawn from it?

Japanese Police should investigate the thriving prostitution business around the North Exit of Yamato station. After dark, and before midnight, there are around twenty street prostitutes asking men in the street if they want a massage. One recently tried to drag me into a massage parlour there. Most of these women look foreign and are probably slaves. The Police should do something about the customers of these prostitutes who ride powerful loud motorbikes around Yamato at all hours of the morning. Does Japan have any Police? Do they care about these people making life unbearable for Yamato residents?

CH3CH0

I am wondering how anyone can be "forced into prostitution through online dating sites."

You meet a nice seeming guy on a site, organise an innocent date, he takes you to a fancy meal with champagne and caviar, he's a total gentleman, he invites you to his apartment in the city for more champagne, there are 6 burly men waiting in his home...

Maybe.

I am wondering how anyone can be "forced into prostitution through online dating sites."

Initial dates are set up, papers are signed, date turn out to be more that dates, threat of blackmail, shaming, violation of contract, in the case of foreign nationals - passports are held, there's the threat about harming folks back home...

50.............surely the keystones could find that many in Kabukicho on a Monday night!!

Talk about tip of the iceberg!

All hookers are unhappy. It is not a pleasant business. But it's a worldwide phenomenon, and it's men who create the demand. Get rid of all men, problem solved.

Danny Bloom - so pimps who force women into prostitution are simply providing for the demands of biology and should be free to do so.

check.

You know when you do things against the law that are not "so" bad like gambling, black market goods, even selling drugs "to grown adults", I kind of just shrug my shoulders and say "ehhh...".

But when you force prostitution on people, especially the truly vunerable and or children or minors, that just really touches a nerve... For all the Yakuza do (not all of them mind you and not the only groups either), mostly for the bad, but there is some good as well... Human trafficking... That is about as low as you can go... If they stopped that my respect for them would go way up... (Not that they sit up late at night wondering how my respect for them could go up or anything...)

But that, along with murder and extortion... They are just no-goes. It is kind of like, "Oh he a bad boy/cool" for petty stuff to, "Oh what a horrid and souless individual..." for the more extreme things. And yes, there is an actual difference.

Also regardless of who is doing the reporting, a lot of these girls are probably just seeing the city for the first time, some even the country. Some are Japanese preying on the helpless, others Koreans, etc. Some may never had tasted liquor before, while others are drugged. Some are migrants. Most are tricked, promised things they will never get. Some are threatened with deportation, physical violence or simply forced. Online dating sites are mostly legit, but that does not stop people from preying upon others and there are some sites I would not even call "dating" that are less legit.

But only fifty people is a very low number. In one raid perhaps, but not a year. There are hundreds if not thousands. Watch the documentary Half the Sky.

All hookers are unhappy.

No, that's not true. And also not really applicable to this story - this story is about forced prostitution, not voluntary hookers.

So how many arrests were made of those involved in the trafficking? How many people were sent to jail? I don't remember reading any reports about that.