This document provides an overview of human trafficking in Japan, including:
1) Historical and cultural factors that contributed to the development of the sex industry.
2) The current trafficking situation in Japan, where victims are primarily women from East and Southeast Asia exploited sexually or migrant workers exploited for labor.
3) International criticism of Japan's response to trafficking, with the country still ranked as Tier 2 by the US State Department for failing to meet anti-trafficking standards.
Trafficking is a crucial violation of human rights and is considered as a form of slavery all over the world. Women and children, particularly, are in great demand in so far as the different sites of trafficking are concerned.
Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad.
Trafficking is a crucial violation of human rights and is considered as a form of slavery all over the world. Women and children, particularly, are in great demand in so far as the different sites of trafficking are concerned.
Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad.
This presentation provides both an overview and insights into the how and why of human trafficking, problem and potential solutions.
Pimps, Prostitutes and Profit
Enculturation and Acculturation Dynamics within Discourse Surrounding the Exclusion of Manga/Anime from the 2014 Japanese Child Pornography Law Reform
Renato Rivera Rusca
Assistant Professor, Center for International Collaboration,
Meiji University
In this presentation, I will examine the various strains of reasoning and key phrases in debates surrounding calls for further restriction of manga and anime in Japan and abroad in light of law changes banning the possession of child pornography. Law changes, ratified in June 2014, sparked criticism in the English-language media, namely with regards to the exclusion of depictions in manga and anime of characters who appear to be minors engaging in sexual activity. We can attribute this to the enculturated attitude towards the subject matter in the respective societies. For example, it is intriguing to find such typically left-leaning media outlets as The Daily Beast and The Young Turks advocating censorship. This presentation attempts to analyze the language used in these reports, as well as their usage of analogies and methods of framing the issue, and then contextualizes this analysis within the idiosyncrasies of the origin society. I conclude by examining reactionary attitudes within the Japanese media, including an editorial in the Mainichi Shimbun calling for stricter regulation because otherwise “the world will lose its confidence in Japan.”
Professor David Hulme, Executive Director of the Global Development Institute spoke at the Japan International Cooperation Agency in July 2016.
The presentation links to his new book 'Should Rich Nations Help The Poor'
Recently, conflicts have caused more people to flee their
homes in search of safe refuge than at any other time since
record keeping began. Mostly because of conflicts in Ukraine
and Syria, Europe has seen the largest increase in the
number of refugees. Learn how Rotarians are working to help refugees adjust to life in Europe, find opportunities to involve
them in Rotary and Rotaract, and share ideas for addressing
long-term educational, employment, and social needs.
A theoretical Framework on Inflation and Retirement:
Improvements in longevity as well as declining fertility rates have led to an aging demographic across developed nations. These tendencies, alongside several decades of low inflation have led to shifts in pension and retirement policies across developed nations. It goes without saying that Retirement security remains a shared concern, one that has heightened as inflation has returned to the global landscape, adding further uncertainty to the financial security of retirees. From a policy perspective, monetary policy is the most blunt tool within the macroeconomic toolkit whereas retirement has increasingly become a household-level savings, investment and decumulation problem. Given the dependency of policy on inflation expectations and that of inflation expectations on household-level decision-making, we present elements of an incipient framework that may be used to integrate household and firm-level decision making into the contemporary macroeconomic policy toolkit.
The Finnish and Swedish accessions to NATO—even though incomplete as of now—have been interpreted in some corners as the beginning of the end for neutrality. Not picking sides in a war of aggression is untenable, they hold, cheering the decisions of some former neutrals to give up their signature foreign policies while berating those who still do not send weapons to Ukraine or sanction Russia. Whatever one’s stance on the policy side is, one point has been lost in the debate: neutrality is not a question of ideology but a fact of conflict dynamics. It just won’t go away. Not even the two World Wars or the 40 years of the Cold War could get rid of the “fence-sitters.”
Neutrality, always and everywhere, is a reaction to conflict(s). The current one over Ukraine is no exception, giving rise to neutral policies in roughly two-thirds of the world. It is a moot question if there should be neutrality or not. Nonaligned behavior of third-party states is a fact of international life and will remain one. There are really only two questions that matter: First, which neutrals will leave the stage, and which ones will be born? Second, will the neutrals play a constructive role in the new global conflict, or will they be relegated to the margins?
This talk will disentangle the neutrality debate by differentiating the legal components from the political and strategic aspects and discuss recent neutrality developments in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
This presentation provides both an overview and insights into the how and why of human trafficking, problem and potential solutions.
Pimps, Prostitutes and Profit
Enculturation and Acculturation Dynamics within Discourse Surrounding the Exclusion of Manga/Anime from the 2014 Japanese Child Pornography Law Reform
Renato Rivera Rusca
Assistant Professor, Center for International Collaboration,
Meiji University
In this presentation, I will examine the various strains of reasoning and key phrases in debates surrounding calls for further restriction of manga and anime in Japan and abroad in light of law changes banning the possession of child pornography. Law changes, ratified in June 2014, sparked criticism in the English-language media, namely with regards to the exclusion of depictions in manga and anime of characters who appear to be minors engaging in sexual activity. We can attribute this to the enculturated attitude towards the subject matter in the respective societies. For example, it is intriguing to find such typically left-leaning media outlets as The Daily Beast and The Young Turks advocating censorship. This presentation attempts to analyze the language used in these reports, as well as their usage of analogies and methods of framing the issue, and then contextualizes this analysis within the idiosyncrasies of the origin society. I conclude by examining reactionary attitudes within the Japanese media, including an editorial in the Mainichi Shimbun calling for stricter regulation because otherwise “the world will lose its confidence in Japan.”
Professor David Hulme, Executive Director of the Global Development Institute spoke at the Japan International Cooperation Agency in July 2016.
The presentation links to his new book 'Should Rich Nations Help The Poor'
Recently, conflicts have caused more people to flee their
homes in search of safe refuge than at any other time since
record keeping began. Mostly because of conflicts in Ukraine
and Syria, Europe has seen the largest increase in the
number of refugees. Learn how Rotarians are working to help refugees adjust to life in Europe, find opportunities to involve
them in Rotary and Rotaract, and share ideas for addressing
long-term educational, employment, and social needs.
A theoretical Framework on Inflation and Retirement:
Improvements in longevity as well as declining fertility rates have led to an aging demographic across developed nations. These tendencies, alongside several decades of low inflation have led to shifts in pension and retirement policies across developed nations. It goes without saying that Retirement security remains a shared concern, one that has heightened as inflation has returned to the global landscape, adding further uncertainty to the financial security of retirees. From a policy perspective, monetary policy is the most blunt tool within the macroeconomic toolkit whereas retirement has increasingly become a household-level savings, investment and decumulation problem. Given the dependency of policy on inflation expectations and that of inflation expectations on household-level decision-making, we present elements of an incipient framework that may be used to integrate household and firm-level decision making into the contemporary macroeconomic policy toolkit.
The Finnish and Swedish accessions to NATO—even though incomplete as of now—have been interpreted in some corners as the beginning of the end for neutrality. Not picking sides in a war of aggression is untenable, they hold, cheering the decisions of some former neutrals to give up their signature foreign policies while berating those who still do not send weapons to Ukraine or sanction Russia. Whatever one’s stance on the policy side is, one point has been lost in the debate: neutrality is not a question of ideology but a fact of conflict dynamics. It just won’t go away. Not even the two World Wars or the 40 years of the Cold War could get rid of the “fence-sitters.”
Neutrality, always and everywhere, is a reaction to conflict(s). The current one over Ukraine is no exception, giving rise to neutral policies in roughly two-thirds of the world. It is a moot question if there should be neutrality or not. Nonaligned behavior of third-party states is a fact of international life and will remain one. There are really only two questions that matter: First, which neutrals will leave the stage, and which ones will be born? Second, will the neutrals play a constructive role in the new global conflict, or will they be relegated to the margins?
This talk will disentangle the neutrality debate by differentiating the legal components from the political and strategic aspects and discuss recent neutrality developments in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Dual citizenship was once universally reviled as a moral abomination, then largely marginalized as an anomaly. During the twentieth century, states were able to police the status and manage incidental costs to the extent that full suppression proved impossible. More recent decades have seen wide acceptance of dual citizenship as those costs dissipated for both states and individuals. Powerful nonresident citizen communities have played a crucial role in winning recognition of the status. A handful of states -- Japan notable among them -- have held out against this clear trend and increasingly vocal emigrant and immigrant constituencies and children of bi-national couples. This session will situate Japan's resistance to dual citizenship in a global historical context.
November 28, 2022
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has given the go-ahead for a major redevelopment of Jingu Gaien, the cluster of sports facilities and green space adjacent to the National Stadium in Sendagaya. The project has recently become a focus of attention in Tokyo, with many people from across the political spectrum speaking out with concerns about the project.
The redevelopment plan is made possible by a loosening of height restrictions in the area that was implemented in conjunction with the Olympics, and former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori was involved in conceptualization of the plan. The redevelopment will eliminate nearly a thousand trees, two historic stadiums and several public sports facilities, and put in three high rise office buildings.
In this presentation activist Rochelle Kopp will describe the various concerns and issues related to the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project and how she and some other activists and academics are speaking out against the plan and urging that Governor Koike withdraw it and start over with input from the public and experts.
November 17, 2022
8 November 2022 was the last day of voting for the US midterm elections. These elections reflected the mood of American voters and give us some idea of the future course of American policy and of the political and ideological balance of power in the United States. They will also affect the ability of the Biden Administration to pursue its agenda.
Professor Yashiro, one of Japan's leading economists, will look at the results of Abenomics (a term coined to describe Japan's economic policy while Shinzo Abe was premier) and Prime Minister Kishida's plans for what he calls a "New Capitalism."
Observers of Japanese security and foreign policies have largely focused on analyzing Japanese policies in the area of traditional security. However, they would be remiss to disregard the string of new developments that have been occurring in Japan – namely that of “economic security.”
Prompted by rising U.S.-China competition, Japan has been undergoing rapid change in its economic security policies over the last few years. These changes range from organizational transformation to new legislation as well as increasing support for the private sector. This trend is likely to accelerate under the incoming Kishida administration, which has created a new ministerial post for economic security.
How has Japan’s economic security policy evolved in the last few years? What kind of changes will we likely see in Japan’s economic security policies under the Kishida administration? What impact will this “economic security awakening” in Japan have on Japan-U.S. and Japan-China relations? How should Japan cooperate with other key actors, such as the European Union, the Quad countries, the Five Eyes states, and Southeast Asian countries?
This seminar will address these critical questions and more with Akira Igata, who has been advising international organizations, the Japanese government, bureaucracy, and the private sector in economic security issues for many years.
Speaker Biography:
Akira Igata is Executive Director and Visiting Professor at the Center for Rule-making Strategies at Tama University. He is also the Economic Security Advisor for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China and Senior Adjunct Fellow at Pacific Forum, a U.S.-based think tank. He advises Japan’s bureaucracy, politicians, and private sector as well as international organizations on economic security issues.
A half a year ago, the prospect of an LDP presidential election did not inspire flights of the imagination. After all, what could break the hammerlock the top three party factions – the Hosoda, the Aso and the Nikai – had upon the process of selecting the party leader? Who or what could outmaneuver the wily LDP Secretary-General Nikai Toshihiro, whom two prime ministers in a row found themselves powerless to budge from his post at the apex of the party’s secretariat?
Over the summer of 2021, however, several factors became catalysts for changes in the party’s internal power structures. A presidential campaign like any other had unfolded, with the faction leaders and the party’s senior officials left gasping as erstwhile subordinates have run away with the narrative and the initiative. So many assumptions about how the LDP “works” have been challenged that the unprecedented situation of half of the candidates being women has been largely subsumed.
What will we have learned from this election? Michael Cucek will offer his views, along with suggestions of avenues of future research into the contemporary LDP.
Closed Loop, Open Borders: Wealth and Inequality in India
Speaker:
Anthony P. D’Costa, Eminent Scholar in Global Studies and Professor of Economics College of Business, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Japan and Russia: Contemporary Political, Economic, and Military Relations
Speaker: Yu Koizumi, Project Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo
Presentation: Russian Military Posture in Northern Territory
Japan and Russia: Contemporary Political, Economic, and Military Relations
Speaker: Elena Shadrina, Associate Professor, Waseda University
Presentation: What to Expect for Russia-Japan Relations: Contemplation against a Backdrop of Social and Economic Situation in Russia
Japan and Russia: Contemporary Political, Economic, and Military Relations
Speaker: James D. J. Brown, Associate Professor of Political Science at Temple University, Japan Campus
Presentation: Japan-Russia Joint Economic Projects on the Disputed Islands: What are they good for?
More from Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS) at TUJ (20)
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Thesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.ppt
Public Lecture PPT (7.12.2012)
1. JAPAN
Cultural Introduction
and
Scope of Human Trafficking
◆ Polaris Project Japan www.PolarisProject.jp
Outreach website for teens: www.Pol214.com
www.facebook.com/PolarisJapan
Phone:050-3496-7615 FAX:020-4669-6933
2. Presentation Overview
I. Japanese Historical and Cultural
Background
II. The Current Trafficking Situation
III. International Criticism and Response
IV.About Polaris Project Japan
V. Final Thoughts and Conclusions
4. Japanese Cultural Concepts
• Strong hierarchical cultural traditions
• Strong patriarchal cultural traditions
• Honne (本音) vs. Tatemae (建前)
• Relatively weak civic participation
• Personal affairs stay very private
5. Historical Background
• Long history of institutionalized prostitution
• Legal and social acceptance (despite criticism)
• The Recreation and Amusement Association (Aug. ‘45)
• Replaced by red light districts (Jan. ‘46)
• Prostitution banned in 1956, but the ban’s language is weak
• De facto prostitution con-
tinues to this day
A scene from Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1956 film
“The Red Light District”
8. Global Human Trafficking Market
Number of Victims:
21 million (ILO, 2012)
80% are female/ 50% are children (US State Dept)
Profit: 3 trillion yen each year (ILO)
9. Human Trafficking in Japan
• Sexual exploitation: East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia, and Latin
America
• Labor exploitation: male and female migrant workers from China,
Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and other Asian countries.
• The majority of officially identified victims are foreign women migrating
willingly to Japan seeking work, but who are later subjected to debts of up
to $50,000.
• A significant number of Japanese women and girls have also been reported
as sex trafficking victims.
• Traffickers are increasingly targeting Japanese women and girls for coerced
exploitation in pornography and the sex industry.
• Organized crime syndicates (the Yakuza) play a significant role in trafficking.
• Japanese men continue to be a significant source of demand for child sex
tourism in Southeast Asia.
11. The Official* Human Trafficking Numbers:
539 human trafficking cases (2001-2011)
613 Victims 483 Persons Arrested
Nationality of the Victims
Thai: 214 Filipino: 162 Indonesian: 76 Colombian: 58
*For reasons explained
later, these official figures
represent just glimpse of
the real problem
12. Japan‟s Sex Industry
The market is worth 4 - 10 trillion yen
(about 50 – 125 billion U.S. dollars)
Or 1 – 2% of Japan‟s total GDP.
Delivery Health
= each client pays 23,000 per visit
One woman has on average 4 clients a day, 6 days a week = 552,000/week
The trafficker earns 2,760,000 for per week.
= 132,480,000/year × 20,000 establishments(2004)
The industry is worth approximately 300 billion yen per year
Source: Asia Wall Street Journal
15. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Minors
Child prostitution:5 000 cases or more
of persons detained as a result of child prostitution (2011)
Child pornography 1,455 cases *
(number of persons arrested=1,016)
Charges of supplying, manufacturing, distribution (2009)
105 of the 638(16%) cases were younger than elementary
School age. The youngest victim is 3 y.o.
Japan, along with Russia are among the two G8 countries that does not outlaw "simple possession" for collecting images for personal use.
16. Global Criticism
Japan criticized in reports by:
Human Rights Watch
International Labor Organization (ILO)
U.S. Department of State
United Nations
17. U.S. Department of State TIP Report
Country rankings
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 “The Government of Japan does
Does not not fully comply with the
Fully complies Does not
with minimum
comply with
comply with minimum standards for the
Definition
minimum
standards to minimum
protect
standards to
standards and
elimination of trafficking …
protect victims,
trafficking
but making
not making corruption remains a serious
victims effort
some efforts concern in the large
•S Korea •Japan •Iran entertainment industry in
•Taiwan •Portugal •Zimbabwe
•USA •South Africa •Sudan Japan…[it] has no dedicated
Countries
•UK •Cambodia •Burma
•Canada •Burkina Faso •Congo (DRC)
shelters for trafficking victims
•France •Mexico •Cuba or clear sheltering resources for
•Germany •Paraguay •Eritrea
•Australia •Hong Kong •N Korea male victims…”
•… •… •… Trafficking in Persons Report 2012 on Japan
- U.S. Department of State
Source: US State Department “Trafficking in Persons Report 2010”
18. The Japanese Government’s
Response
• After the Japanese were designated a Tier 2 country for the first
time in 2001, the government was embarrassed and tried to
address the criticism.
• They enacted an “Action Plan” in 2004 designed to increase
awareness among law enforcement and customs officers, and
treat victims as victims rather than violators of immigration law
• The government response has been characterized as insufficient
to address the scale of the problem.
• No comprehensive anti-trafficking law has been passed to this
day, and Japan remains a Tier 2 country even now, eleven years
later.
20. A Brief History of PPJ
• Polaris Project was founded in the U.S. in 2002
• Polaris Project Japan was founded in September 2004 by
Shihoko Fujiwara, a former fellow with Polaris Project
• In 2005, we established the first national trafficking
consultation hotline in Japan
• The hotline receives hundreds of calls every year, and PPJ has
provided consultations and support for hundreds of victims
• We have also trained many law enforcement officers, customs
officials, and social workers, and continue to provide
educational lectures to all kinds of audiences across the
country and abroad
21. Victim
Support
Raise
Victim awareness
Outreach among police
and social workers
22. The State of Trafficking in Japan
The Numbers (Polaris Project’s 2011 Data)
- Since its inception in 2005, our hotline has
provided over 2,500 consultations
- We have provided over 130 people with
direct support or connected them with the
appropriate organization
- In 2011, we offered 381 consultations,
including 33 cases involving victims of sex
trafficking
(Number of Consultations by Prefecture)
23. Trafficking in Japan – A Victim’s Voice
→ A Korean woman in her early 20’s Case 1:
Korean Female
→ This case came to Polaris via a
call from an acquaintance rather
than from the victim herself
→She was resold by a “broker” and
forced into prostitution, unaware that
she was the victim of a crime “My friend is being
abused by her ‘employer,’
→She used to be a social worker and it’s my fault. I want
helping battered women in Korea,
then she decided to go to Japan to speak with a lawyer.“
hoping eventually to get into
Japanese university…
24. Cases in which Polaris Project has been
involved
Victim
Case2:
14 year-old
Japanese girl
“I was able to get out of the situation but
don„t have anywhere to go, and I never Fourteen year old
feel good about things. When I get
propositioned or when I have sex I feel Japanese girl got
that my body is worthless and start crying
without reason.” She is emotionally into a confrontation
restless. We meet periodically and act as
a confidant and give her the necessary with playmates when she
support she needs
was told she had a
"bad attitude" and
was coerced into
prostitution.
25. Trafficking in Japan – A Victim’s Voice
→ This case was reported by an Case 3:
American soldier in Yamaguchi-ken Filipino Female
→She was invited to come to Japan
by her friend in Nagano, but then
was transferred to Yamaguchi and
charged with a 400,000 yen “I entered
“transfer fine”. Japan on an
Entertainer Visa
→She temporarily returned to the
Phillippines, but then was forced into and I should
another six month contract in Japan. have reached out
She didn’t know what to do. to an NGO
sooner.“
26. Case 4:
Korean Female forced to 韓国のNGOからの緊急支
work in a sex club. 援依頼
→ By way of a broker, she entered
Japan on a tourist visa and was
“My condition was so forced into work.
bad I could barely stand, → Due to fear of her abusers and
insufficient resources for victims,
let alone go to the hospital. she was unable to get help from
I thought I might end up the police.
dead, so I called an → Before her departure, Polaris
provided medical care, access to
organization that protects an emergency shelter, and helped
Korean women her return home.
and I was connected
with Polaris Japan.”
27. How victims are lured into
Japan‟s sex trade
Foreign Women recruited in their own country /Domestic victims
in Japan
- Debt bondage by loan sharks
-Tricked by deceptive advertisements in papers
-Once you are in the industry, it is hard to get out
- Stigma and resignation
- “Support structure” also exploits women: Clothing store,
pharmacy, clinics, that traffickers work with
Women recruited once they are in Japan:
- Peer pressure and persistent recruitment at language school,
etc.
• Traffickers use isolation and cultural barriers to force women
to follow the “rules”
29. Additional Reference:The State of Japanese
Trafficking Since 2005
• The U.S. State Department designated Japan a “Watch List” country in 2004.
In December, the Japanese government unveiled its “Plan of Action”:
– Alter the penal code to make trafficking a crime, enforce more stringent
requirements for Entertainer visas, use DV shelters for trafficking victims
• The Results
– Continued Lack of a Comprehensive Trafficking Law and Insufficient Victim
Support
• Without a real protection system in place, victims are hesitant to raise their voices, seeing
little choice but to bide their time and hope to make it back home someday
• The penal code, the Anti-Prostitution Law, the Employment Security Act, the Child
Welfare Law, and immigration law are ostensibly aimed at these problems, but they are
not often used to prosecute human trafficking cases
– Effective prosecution of cases is difficult
• Evidence of forced prostitution, debt, and abuse is often destroyed by the perpetrator
– Discrimination, misunderstanding, and a lack of public awareness makes it
harder to locate victims
• The state of foreign women working in the sex industry is often poorly understood (by
police and citizens alike)
• There is a general misconception about people involved in the sex industry
30. Some reasons why human trafficking
still persists
Human trafficking
Trafficking is an often goes
underground, unidentified and
hidden industry involves many
complex issues
There are few
There is little
victims who take
public awareness
legal action
about the problem
against traffickers
There are
inadequate human A lack of
resources to information
tackle the problem
31. Polaris has trained over 5,000 law enforcement
officers and social workers.
This number includes members of: the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Offices, Tokyo Metropolitan
Office of Education, the Bureau of Immigration, Tokyo Metropolitan
Office for Youth Affairs, child welfare centers and others.
32. Suggestion from PPJ
Create Comprehensive Anti-trafficking policy
Train all police officers, immigration officers as well
as social service providers on how to identify
trafficking
Start National Human Trafficking hotline
Comprehensive Victim Protection
Medical, Legal support, shelter, counseling as well as
providing legal status for the survivors of trafficking for
work
Polaris Project Japan and Solidarity Network With Migrants Japan, 20th June 2012
33. AKARI
Project
Because of the lack of policy,
PPJ’s work is solely supported by your support.
Join Polaris AKARI Project to support our hotline and
services for victims of trafficking.
See more info from our HP /brochure