Almost a Slave Contract”…Still, Why Sex Workers’ Ultra-Dangerous Overseas Migrations Are Rampant

Overseas dekasegi,” which has been discussed several times in this series. Since last year, the crackdown has been tightened in the U.S. and other countries with a culture of high tipping, and the number of Japanese who fly to Singapore, Taiwan, and other Asian countries has been increasing.

Mayumi (pseudonym, 24), a sex worker at a brothel in Kabukicho, has experienced overseas dekasegi twice. She now earns her money mainly through dekasegi sex work in Japan.

Now, not everyone can make money in the sex industry in Japan. It is a popular business. So I understand why domestic sex workers want to go abroad where they can earn high salaries. But when I went to Dubai, I was seriously traumatized by a client who forced me to take drugs. I think it is dangerous to go there easily.”

There are endless stories of people actually being detained abroad, having their visas confiscated, and being forced to work under house arrest. In addition, there were stories of how they “had to make tricks on store owners to survive because there was no one to rely on,” and how “they made so much money that the store staff held them at gunpoint and robbed them of all their money.

Amidst these stories, there is a place that has been attracting a lot of attention since the end of last month, with words such as “super-high-priced job in a special economic zone,” “30,000 yen per 60 minutes,” and “150,000 yen guaranteed for one day. Laos is located in Southeast Asia, north of Thailand. Several accounts on social networking sites are already soliciting Japanese people to work as prostitutes and hotel cleaning staff with favorable conditions, but there is a big pitfall in this dekasegi destination.

According to an alert posted on the official website of the Embassy of Japan in Laos in April of this year, job scams that prey on foreigners have been occurring frequently in the special economic zone of Bokeo Province. After offering high remuneration and other favorable conditions to allow them to travel to Laos, the foreigners are actually detained and forced to engage in illegal activities.

The “Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone” in Bokeo Province is a special economic zone leased by the Chinese government from Laos for 99 years. Currently, it is flourishing mainly with casinos. The paper currency that can be used is Chinese yuan. The Chinese government has to be very careful because of the diplomatic problems that may arise, and the security authorities do not have sufficient capacity to investigate, so it is not easy to rescue or solve the problem when foreigners fall into dangerous situations.

I was a little curious to find out more about it, but it is usually too scary. …… It’s almost like a slave contract,” said Mayumi.

The job offer on SNS says, “You must obtain a tourist visa for 30 days” and “You can take your wages home with you when you return to your country. The job description on the SNS says, “You must obtain a 30-day tourist visa,” and “You can take your salary home when you return to your home country. It is a very black job, but some people are dazzled by the high unit price.

But that doesn’t mean that migrant workers outside of Laos are safe. The most well-paid migrant workers are almost always in Laos illegally, and sometimes the country itself prohibits prostitution. Sometimes the stores are illegal. So if you are found, you are out immediately in many cases.

Despite the dangers, there is no end to the number of people boasting on social networking sites about their high income from migrating overseas and their elegant lifestyles, receiving tips from wealthy people called “god guests.

There is a trend to go abroad for foreigners because of the COVID-19 crisis, but on the contrary, foreigners are also coming to Japan quite often. Maybe it’s a safer place to make a living than other places. In Kabukicho, I often hear about kan-deri and chai-deri.

Overseas dekasegi was popular because “there is a tipping culture overseas” and “there is a demand for Japanese people. In these days of globalization, the key to survival in the sex industry will be whether or not the industry can look to the inbound market and think of ways to earn money domestically.

Sasaki Chihuahua
Born in Tokyo in 2000. After attending an integrated school in Tokyo from elementary school to high school, he went on to Keio University, where he has been living in Kabukicho since he was 15 years old and has a wide range of personal connections. At university, he is studying the sociology of the downtown area, including Kabukicho. His book, ” Pien” to shakai” (“The Disease of ‘Pien’: Consumption and Approval of the SNS Generation”), is now on sale.