Measures to Combat Trafficking in Persons

What is trafficking in persons ?

Trafficking in persons means an act of obtaining persons by using violence and other means, for the purpose of exploitation, which is defined in Article 3 of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (which is known as the Trafficking in Persons Protocol). (If a victim is a minor under 18 years of age, the above act will be considered to be trafficking in persons even if the above means are not used.)

Trafficking in persons is a grave violation of human rights. By understanding that it requires a prompt and appropriate response from a humanitarian perspective , the governmental agencies have been cooperating to take measures according to the Japan's 2014 Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons developed by the Japanese Government. The police have also been working to quickly rescue and protect victims and strengthening the crackdown to eliminate trafficking in persons, which is a heinous and repugnant crime.

→ Click here to Japan’s 2014 Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons

 

Cases of trafficking in persons

What are the signs of trafficking in persons? What should you do if you find a victim of trafficking in persons?

The following situations may be the signs of trafficking in persons.

【Possibilities of becoming a victim】

  • Your boyfriend who you met on social media repeatedly tells you to earn money for him by participating in compensated dating with other men to show your love for him.
  • You visited a host club (a night club where male staffs cater to female customers in Japan) many times and ran out of money, but you still go there without paying because they told you that you could pay the bill later.
  • You were told that you could earn a lot of money if you worked in Japan. When you came to Japan by borrowing money to pay for a high commission, your passport was taken away from you.

【Possibilities of a victim being around you】

  • You found multiple posts soliciting men for compensated dating using the same account on social media.
  • A young girl who looks like a high school student went into a restaurant to provide services to entertain customers. Only customers solicited by a tout go into and come out of the restaurant.
  • Several women who speak little Japanese and live in the same apartment always come home in the middle of the night.

If you think you or someone around you may be a victim of trafficking in persons

In case of emergency, dial 110 or report it to the nearest police station, etc. For a consultation, please call #9110 or a police station, etc.

If a foreigner shows you the leaflet

Persons carrying the following leaflet are telling you that they are the victims of trafficking in persons. Please report it to the police to safely protect them as soon as possible.

→ Click here to other language

The situation of arrests of crimes (trafficking in persons）

The following are the trends in the number of victims that were reported to the police, the number of cases arrested and the number of persons arrested. In 2022, the number of victims reported was 46, the number of cases arrested was 83 and the number of suspects arrested was 37.