Abroad
Thai mother, 29, allegedly trafficks daughter, 12, into Japan for sex work
The woman was arrested in Taiwan for alleged prostitution and is currently being detained.
November 14, 2025, 11:05 AM
An arrest warrant has been issued for a 29-year-old Thai woman who allegedly trafficked her 12-year-old daughter into Japan for illegal sex work.
The girl was previously rescued by police after being forced to serve 60 clients in a Tokyo massage parlour within 33 days.
The woman allegedly left the girl in a private-room massage parlour in Tokyo, and told her to stay and perform sexual massages to its customers, according to Mainichi Shimbun.
"It ends when you make the customer ejaculate," she allegedly told the girl, who attended a secondary school in Thailand.
The woman then left Japan on Jul. 11.
She was arrested in Taiwan and is currently being detained in New Taipei City, according to Taiwan News.
What happened
Before the incident, the woman worked abroad providing sexual services while the girl lived with her grandparents.
On Jun. 27, both mother and daughter travelled into Japan from Thailand on a 15-day tourist visa.
It was the girl's first time in Japan.
The woman then allegedly handed her daughter over to Masayuki Hosono, 51, the owner of a massage parlour in Tokyo.
She told the girl to stay there and work and instructed her to perform sexual massages.
The incident came to light in September 2025, when the girl went alone to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward to seek help.
She has since been taken into protective custody as a trafficking victim.
Hosono, the parlour owner, was arrested on Nov. 4 on suspicion of coercing the girl into carrying out the services, NHK reported.
Woman arrested in Taiwan
The woman was arrested in Taoyuan during a prostitution raid, reported Taiwan News.
She has reportedly been linked to an international prostitution ring.
Immigration officials found that the woman had spent extended periods abroad, frequently residing in Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Japanese authorities have requested for her to be transferred to Japan for questioning, before she is deported back to Thailand for prosecution.
Police from both Japan and Thailand are also expected to conduct a joint investigation into the extent of the alleged trafficking network.
Top photos via Unsplash & Canva
