Tokyo police arrested a man in connection with a Japanese blog that is part of an international investigation into child prostitution in Laos, sources with the Metropolitan Police Department said.
The suspect in his 60s was arrested on Jan. 27 on suspicion of registering a false address and telephone number when contracting a server in October 2022.
MPD investigators believe the server contract was concluded to run “The King of Laos, Lao-ji,” a now-suspended blog.
The MPD, which searched the man’s home in Osaka Prefecture in March last year, found that photos identical to those posted on the blog were stored on his cellphone.
The man, who works part time, has a record of traveling to Laos 17 times. Dates on some of the photos coincided with periods when he was in the Southeast Asian country.
According to the sources, the man denied the allegations, saying, “I was not involved in registering or contracting the server.”
He told investigators that he simply provided an address after being asked by a stranger he became acquainted with at a pub in Laos.
The suspect said the unidentified man told him: “I want to sign up for a server, but I do not have an address in Japan. I would like you to lend me yours.”
It remains unclear who posted the blog entries, which include some apparently dating back to 2022, but investigators believe the Osaka man knows something about the content.
The MPD is working with Laotian police authorities to investigate the case.
The blog, which became inaccessible around February 2023, featured headings such as “Testimonials,” “Brothel guidebook” and “Nightlife,” according to the sources.
It included links to paid websites, which appeared to describe where the blog operator bought sex, how much he paid, and his personal accounts.
The Asahi Shimbun confirmed some of the records that remain online, which were consistent with information held by police.
The blog’s content was circulated on social media platforms, and the MPD’s hotline on child pornography and prostitution received multiple reports.
A record of a bank account in the Osaka man’s name showed that a total of about 550,000 yen ($3,600), believed to be proceeds from the paid websites, was credited, according to the sources.
Investigators believe about 40 people purchased paid content.
In June last year, the Japanese Embassy in Laos posted a warning for travelers after finding social media posts indicating that Japanese were engaging in child prostitution there.
The warning stated that child prostitution in Laos is “not only subject to enforcement by Laotian investigative authorities but also punishable under Japanese law as an extraterritorial offense committed by Japanese nationals.”
The law prohibiting child prostitution and child pornography allows for prosecution of offenses committed outside Japan under provisions governing extraterritorial crimes.
Under the law, which applies to victims under 18, lack of knowledge of the child’s age does not exempt an offender from punishment.
Charges can be brought even without a formal complaint from the victim.
(This article was written by Natsuno Otahara and Shomei Nagatsuma.)
AloJapan.com