Police in Tokyo have arrested a Thai woman who was in charge of recruiting workers for a Tokyo massage parlor. A Thai girl was forced to provide sexual services at the establishment in June of last year. She was 12 years old at the time.
The police say Punsiripanya Phakhaphon is suspected of having violated the Child Welfare Act by colluding with the owner of the parlor to force the girl to provide sexual services to male customers.
The investigators say the 38-year-old Tokyo resident may have been serving as a broker.
They say the suspect has denied the allegations.
The owner of the business, Hosono Masayuki, has been arrested for allegedly violating the Labor Standards Act and committing other offenses.
The girl’s mother worked at the parlor from May to June of last year. She quit and then reportedly sent a message to Punsiripanya, via social media, saying that she hoped to work there again. She reportedly added that another person wanted to work there too.
The girl arrived in Japan with her mother in late June of 2025. The mother allegedly left the girl alone at the parlor.
Punsiripanya currently runs a business in Tokyo.
The police have quoted her as saying that she introduced people to Hosono up until sometime last summer. She reportedly said she served in a position similar to that of a broker, but that she has no relationship with the parlor now because she quit.
The investigators believe that she may have arranged to have 30 to 40 people, including the Thai girl, work at the parlor.
Police in Thailand arrested the girl’s mother. She is suspected of engaging in human trafficking and other actions. The police in Tokyo plan to investigate further in cooperation with their Thai counterparts.
AloJapan.com