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Japan Strengthens Its Efforts on Combating Human Trafficking

Its legal teeth sharpened, the government is getting ready to take a bite out of human trafficking.

It has set up a Japan-Thai task force to step up investigations and protect victims, and in May 2006 sent a fact-finding mission to Indonesia. Many foreign women are brought to Japan as dancers or singers and end up being forced to work in the sex industry. Organized crime is often involved.

In 2004, Japan's reputation was blackened when it earned itself a place on the U.S. State Department's watch list of countries woefully lacking in measures against human trafficking. In response, the government revised the law to make human trafficking a punishable offense, and toughened up visa controls. It was removed from the U.S. list the following year. The Japan-Thai task force is the first bilateral forum on the issue. It had its first meeting in Thailand in mid-May 2006. Japanese Foreign Ministry, Justice Ministry and National Police Agency (NPA) officials took part. The two countries agreed to cooperate and share information, and will compile a joint action plan by the summer. The plan is geared toward cracking down on brokers and improving ways to help victims. Thailand was chosen because many trafficking victims in Japan are Thai women. According to the NPA, 169 of the 397 victims taken into custody between 2001 and 2005 were from Thailand. Most were duped into heavy debts, then forced to work as bar hostesses or prostitutes. In 2005, though, the largest group of victims was Indonesians--44 of the 117 people put under protection that year. The government responded with a fact-finding mission to Indonesia in May, and interviewed the victims for information. In the three cases where people have been charged with human trafficking, all the victims were from Indonesia. One woman said she needed money after her husband died in the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, and she was lured to Japan by a newspaper classified ad. The Foreign Ministry fears more women may be victimized as a result of the recent earthquake in Java, Indonesia.

Adapted from: ‘Slamming the brakes on human trafficking.’ Asahi Shimbun. 9 June 2006.