Phnom Penh: A Cambodian court on Tuesday charged a Japanese man with human trafficking for allegedly recruiting 10 Cambodian women to work in Tokyo where they were forced into sex trade.
Fukui Susumu, 52, manager of a Japanese restaurant in Phnom Penh, and his 28-year-old Cambodian wife as well as his 34-year-old male employee were arrested last week, Xinhua news agency reported.
The court prosecutor decided to charge them with unlawful recruitment for exploitation. The three could face prison terms of seven to 20 years if convicted.
Police said Susumu and his wife lured 10 Cambodian women in August last year to work in a restaurant in Japan, lying to them that they could earn between $3,000 and $5,000 a month.
However, when the women arrived in Japan in November, another Japanese man took them to work as waitresses in a restaurant in Gunma prefecture and forced them to have sex with clients, the police said.
Police said the arrest came after seven of the women secretly contacted the Cambodian embassy in Tokyo. The victims were repatriated to Cambodia last month.
