November 20, 2025

Japanese Communist Party representative Motomura Nobuko on November 19 demanded that the government strengthen its efforts to eradicate sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on Judicial Affairs, Motomura raised the case of a 12-year-old Thai girl who had been trafficked to Japan and sexually exploited, including being forced into sex work at massage parlors in Tokyo. The JCP lawmaker demanded that Japan provide long-term state-funded support for the girl.

Motomura stated that this case constitutes a serious human rights violation, proposing that a lawyer specializing in children’s rights and welfare be assigned in order to ensure the girl’s safety, guarantee her livelihood, and protect her right to education.

In response, Justice Minister Hiraguchi Hiroshi said, “We will take comprehensive measures with her protection in mind.”

Motomura cited the U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which states that the number of “criminal investigations and cases prosecuted by the government for labor trafficking and child sex trafficking remained low” in Japan and that the country’s law enforcement allowed “a majority of child sex traffickers to operate with impunity.” She stated, “Japan must formulate strategies to eradicate sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes.”

Justice Minister Hiraguchi responded, “The government as a whole will dedicate itself to implementing all necessary measures.”

Tsushima Jun, state minister of the Cabinet Office responsible for policies related to children, responded, “We will ensure that necessary initiatives are incorporated into the next revision of the ‘Plan for Preventing Sexual Abuse of Children (Basic Plan on Measures against Child Sexual Exploitation)’.”

Past related article:
> International symposium on fight against sex trafficking held [November 9, 2025]