“I Didn’t Know,” Says Man in His 50s After Thai 12-Year-Old Was Allegedly Exploited

Playing the victim

“I truly believed she was at least 18 years old. I was shocked when I heard she was 12. I believe I was deceived.”

The owner of a private-room massage parlor in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, Masayuki Hosono (52, pictured above), who is accused of violating the Child Welfare Act and other offenses for allegedly forcing a 12-year-old Thai girl to provide sexual services, offered this astonishing defense at the Tokyo District Court on July 17. Even when questioned about the girl, he spoke calmly and showed no change in expression.

According to the indictment and other sources, in June of last year, the girl came to Japan with her mother on a short-term tourist visa. She was then taken directly to the massage parlor in question. Hosono allegedly failed to verify her age, arranged customers for her, and made her perform sexual acts, including manual sexual acts. He also allegedly had her perform a sexual act on him under the guise of practice.

“The following day, the mother left Japan alone. Although the girl spoke no Japanese whatsoever, she was left behind and reportedly made to live and sleep at the massage parlor while being forced to serve around 70 customers. In August, she was moved to an adult-entertainment establishment in another prefecture, and in September she sought help from the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau, bringing the case to light. Another suspect, Thai national Pakaporn Punsiripanya (39), a former manager of the establishment who was responsible for recruiting the girl and has been indicted on charges of violating the same law, has also been arrested in connection with the case,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s crime desk.

During questioning by his defense counsel at the July 17 hearing, Hosono repeatedly gave testimony portraying himself as though he were a victim caught up in the incident, astonishing those in the courtroom gallery. What follows is the account of his life that Hosono gave in court.

Hosono said he had lived with his father, who worked in construction, his mother, and his older brother. After his parents and brother passed away one after another, he developed depression and suffered a decline in his health. After hearing from an acquaintance that improving your blood circulation will make you better, he began visiting Thai massage parlors. Eventually, a Thai massage therapist invited him to run a business together and also suggested that he marry someone she would introduce him to. Hosono claims that during this period, he was defrauded of between ¥3 million and ¥4 million by the therapist.

Then, Pakaporn, whom he knew, reportedly proposed, “I’ll marry you, so let’s open a shop,” and the two began running a massage parlor together. Although they never actually married, they subsequently opened the establishment.

Sighs from the gallery

However, Hosono said that Pakaporn, the co-defendant, had been kind to him at first but gradually changed and began demanding money.

“Looking back now, I believe I was deceived by Pakaporn. Pakaporn and the girl’s mother knew each other, and I was only informed after the fact that the girl had been hired. I didn’t know she was 12 years old. She had a tattoo on her back, stole the day’s earnings, and went out drinking every night.”

Hosono went so far as to say that the girl’s reputation was terrible, claiming that she was careless and that the shop received numerous complaints from customers. Regarding the fact that he had made her provide him with sexual services, he brazenly insisted that he had merely tested her because there had been complaints that she was a poor masseuse. He said he had made the girl provide sexual services in an effort to increase sales, but that the business never improved. Of course, these were merely the defendant’s one-sided claims. Finally, Hosono repeated his opening defense:

“I’m sorry for causing a public stir. I should have checked her age.”

With that remark, the courtroom was filled with an air of disbelief, and sighs could be heard from the gallery.

A criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, has already sentenced the girl’s mother to seven years and six months in prison for crimes including human trafficking. Attorney Koichiro Matsui of Atom Law Office offered the following view on how the case may proceed:

“If it is established that the girl was made to live at the establishment, that her daily life was managed there, and that she was made to serve a large number of customers over an extended period, the failure to verify her identity or age could itself be given significant weight as evidence supporting ‘dolus eventualis’—a situation in which someone recognizes that a crime may occur but nevertheless accepts that possibility. Since the mother’s involvement has been officially established in Thailand, prosecutors are also likely to present specific counterarguments to Hosono’s claim that he, too, was deceived. In future hearings, prosecutors are expected to examine whether her age was verified, the credibility of his statements regarding the girl’s behavior, and the true nature of his relationships with the mother and Pakaporn. The sentence could vary significantly depending on how the court assesses the existence of ‘dolus eventualis’ and the extent to which his position of authority as the business owner is considered.”

How did Hosono—who remained focused on defending himself, even at the expense of disparaging the victim—interpret the reaction from those watching in the gallery?

From the August 21–28, 2026, combined issue of “FRIDAY”