Japan: Man Denies Sex Work Conspiracy Involving 12-Year-Old Thai Girl

Masayuki Hosono, the 52-year-traditional owner of a Tokyo massage parlor, asserted in court Monday that he was unaware a Thai girl who worked at his establishment was underage, as his criminal trial began at the Tokyo District Court. Hosono is accused of conspiring with Punsiripanya Phakhaphon, 38, to force the then 12-year-old girl into sex work.

Hosono’s defense team echoed his claim, arguing that Phakhaphon, who managed the private-room massage parlor in Tokyo’s Yushima district, had deliberately misled him about the girl’s age. The case centers on allegations that Hosono and Phakhaphon colluded to exploit the girl, bringing her to Japan on a short-term visa and compelling her to work outside the permitted scope of her visa.

Phakhaphon was initially arrested in January for allegedly violating Japan’s Child Welfare Law, and subsequently indicted. On February 16, she faced a fresh arrest warrant on suspicion of violating immigration control laws by arranging illegal employment for a foreign national, according to police reports.

The girl contacted the Immigration Services Agency in September seeking assistance and has since returned to Thailand. Tokyo police have been investigating the case since the allegations surfaced, leading to the arrest of Hosono in November 2025, according to the NHK. Thai police have also arrested the girl’s mother in December on unspecified charges, as reported by The Japan Times.

Punsiripanya Phakhaphon is alleged to have acted as a broker, introducing Thai women to the massage parlor. Police believe she conspired with Hosono to coerce the girl into sex work around June 30 of last year.