TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 61-year-old man from Osaka Prefecture who is suspected of fraudulently hosting a blog with personal accounts promoting child prostitution in Laos, reports Jiji Press (Jan. 29).
According to police, Hiroshi Kida, a part-time worker from Kawachinagano City, Osaka, is suspected of submitting a false address and phone number when signing a contract for a server to host an online blog in October of last year.
When questioned on suspicion of illegally creating and providing private electronic records, Kida denied the charges. “A man I met in Laos asked me to lend him my address as he wanted to register a server but didn’t have one in Japan,” he said.
Hiroshi Kida (X)“Emperor of Laos”
The blog was created by a person calling himself “Laozi, Emperor of Laos,” who posted personal accounts of child prostitution in Laos. Following multiple reports of possible child pornography in the Southeast Asian nation, Tokyo police began investigating the blog’s operation.
The blog also featured photos believed to be of Laotian girls. A search of the suspect’s home in March of last year revealed photos identical to those posted on the blog stored on the suspect’s computer and smartphone.
The suspect has traveled to Laos 17 times, and some of the photos were taken on dates that matched the time of his travels.
As well, a deposit record of approximately 550,000 yen, believed to be sales, was found in an account under the suspect’s name.
Police are investigating the case in cooperation with Laotian police.
In June last year, the Japanese Embassy in Laos issued a warning on its website after posts suggesting child prostitution in Laos by Japanese people had been confirmed. “Not only will these be subject to crackdowns under Laotian law, but they will also be punished under Japanese law as crimes committed overseas,” the embassy said.
AloJapan.com