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Japan Arrests Man Suspected of Running Child Prostitution Blog Targeting Laos

This Week

Japanese authorities arrested a 61-year-old man on 29 January for allegedly operating a blog promoting child prostitution in Laos, according to local Japanese media.

Tokyo police detained Hiroshi Kida, a part-time worker from Osaka Prefecture, on charges of providing false information when renting an internet server in October 2022. 

Investigators suspect the server hosted a blog containing text and photographs suggesting child prostitution in Laos, with links to a paywalled site believed to generate income.

Kida has denied the allegations, claiming he only shared his address with an acquaintance from a bar in Laos. However, police found matching images on his computer and smartphone during a March 2025 home search. His bank account showed deposits totaling approximately JYP 550,000 (USD 3,575), suspected to be blog proceeds. 

Records indicate Kida visited Laos 17 times, with photograph dates corresponding to his travel history.

The arrest is part of a broader enforcement plan of Japan’s Child Prostitution and Child Pornography Prohibition Law, which applies extraterritorially to Japanese citizens. 

In August 2025, Japanese police arrested two Japanese men for producing child pornography involving minors in Laos and Myanmar.

National child exploitation concerns extend beyond Japanese nationals. 

Last year, in November, South Korean organization ECPAT Korea reported monitoring 47 channels sharing prostitution-related content, citing mentions of girls as young as 14. 

In an email to the Laotian Times, the South Korean Embassy in Laos noted that in August, Lao law enforcement executed intensive crackdowns on restaurants and entertainment venues in Vientiane, advising Korean nationals to comply with local regulations.

Despite severe penalties under Lao law, up to 15 years imprisonment for crimes involving minors, prosecution remains challenging due to jurisdictional limitations and reliance on local cooperation.

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