A former manager of a Tokyo massage parlor on trial for allegedly forcing a then 12-year-old Thai girl into sex work denied Wednesday conspiring with the parlor’s Japanese operator for that purpose.
“The facts are not as stated,” Punsiripanya Phakhaphon, a 39-year-old Thai woman, said during the first hearing of her trial at the Tokyo District Court.
Her defense counsel also argued that she did not know the girl’s age and had never met her in person.
Prosecutors said in their opening statement that Punsiripanya was in charge of recruitment and hiring at the parlor since February 2024 and was contacted in June 2025 by the girl’s mother.
The mother, who used to work at the parlor, said she wanted to work there again with her daughter.
They alleged that the defendant decided to hire the girl but did not make the necessary checks regarding her age.
According to the indictment, Punsiripanya conspired with Masayuki Hosono to force the girl to provide sexual services to a male customer in June 2025. Hosono, 52, is also standing trial over the same allegations.
The girl visited Japan with her mother last June and is believed to have provided sexual services to about 60 customers over a month between June and July, according to police.
In September, the girl contacted the Immigration Services Agency for help and was taken into protective custody. In December, she returned to Thailand, where her mother was arrested the same month on suspicion of offenses including human trafficking.
© KYODO
