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Japanese dating sites spark surge in child prostitution crimes
August 6, 2004
The number of child prostitution cases linked to Internet dating sites soared
between January and June, with apprehensions climbing to a record high, a
police report has shown.
The report, issued by the National Police Agency on Thursday, also reported a
surge in drug apprehensions and a record number of cases involving loan sharks.
During the first six months of the year, police made apprehensions in 371 child
prostitution cases involving dating sites, 45 more than during the same period
the previous year, and the highest number since records began in 2000. The
increase came in spite of a dating site control law that came into force in
September last year.
The total number of cases involving apprehension over dating sites reached 785
during the period, four more than a year before. In addition to child
prostitution cases were violations of child welfare laws, which doubled those
of the previous year to reach 60 cases.
Between January and June the number of young people who fell victim to crimes
reached 625 -- 65 percent of who were between elementary school and high school
age. A total of 221 were high school girls, while 182 victims were girls from
junior high schools.
Included in those apprehended for the crimes were five men who sought girls
through a dating site in January and promised to pay two high school girls
30,000 yen for sexual favors. Another female student posted a message on a
dating site saying, "I want someone to buy me for 50,000 yen."
Under the dating site control law, which came into force on Sept. 13, 2003,
users of dating sites can be prosecuted if they ask to meet with a minor to
engage in sexual activity, indicating a price. The law also prohibits girls
under the age of 18 from offering to participate in prostitution on such sites.
In the 15 violations of this law during the first half of the year, two
involved girls soliciting prostitution.
In other police statistics collected for the first half of the year, record
apprehensions were made in cases involving loan sharks, violations of
international property rights, and waste disposal.
The number of people apprehended over cannabis and other mind-altering drugs
was the highest in 10 years.
Incidents involving loan sharks reached 254 cases, resulting in the
apprehension of 514 people. Gang-associated people account for 30 percent of
these arrests. The number of victims in these cases totaled 203,000, who
collectively lost about 22.24 billion yen.
A 39-percent increase was seen in the number of cannabis-related apprehensions,
which totaled 1099 people. Another 212 people were arrested over the synthetic
drug MDMA, popularly known as "ecstasy," 2.6 times that the previous year's
figure.
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