The Verdict
On October 7, 2020, the Tokyo District Court (presiding judge Seiichi Suzuki) sentenced defendant Koji Yoshida, 44, to five years in prison (prosecutors had sought six) on charges of human trafficking and violating the Anti-Prostitution Act (baishun boshi-ho; provision of premises and managed/organized prostitution).
The presiding judge sharply rebuked the defendant: "The defendant targeted women in economically weak positions and, through deception or coercion, forced them to work in the sex industry. His methods were organized and premeditated, and gravely harmed the victims' sexual freedom and personal dignity."
Overview of the Case
Between 2017 and 2019, the defendant forced a total of eight women in the Kanto and Tohoku regions into the sex industry, deceiving them with claims such as "I'll introduce you to a high-paying job." For two of them, he created an inescapable situation by saddling them with debt and threatening them to "work it off."
The victims, aged 18 to 26, all faced economic hardship or family problems. The defendant is said to have deliberately preyed on such vulnerabilities.
Application of the Human-Trafficking Offense
In Japan, the offense of human trafficking (Article 226-2 of the Penal Code) was created in the 2005 revision of the Penal Code, but the number of applications remains small. This verdict draws attention as a case in which the human-trafficking offense was applied to forced labor in the sex industry.
Some lawyers point out that "the interpretation of the requirements for the human-trafficking offense (acts of buying, selling, or pawning) is too narrow," and the need for legal reform to match reality is under discussion.
The State of Victim Support
What became clear over the course of the trial is that victims continue to carry trauma over a long period. A representative of a support organization said: "Coming to court to testify is an enormous burden on victims. We need to further expand witness protection and victim-support systems."
This article was compiled from publicly available information and court records.