Saitama woman, yakuza suspected of forcing runaway girl, 14, into prostitution

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a woman living in Saitama Prefecture and a member of a criminal syndicate for allegedly forcing a 14-year-old runaway girl into prostitution last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 9).
On two occasions between December 23 and 28, Chihiro Fushimi, 32, and Masaru Minowa, a 33-year-old member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, are alleged to have forced the girl to engage in lewd acts with a man at a hotel in Saitama.
Upon their arrests on suspicion of violating the Child Welfare Act and the Anti-Prostitution Law, the suspects admitted to the allegations. 'I made her do it to earn money,' and Minowa said.
At the time, the girl was a third-year middle school student. Last November, Fushimi met the girl on a social-networking site. Chihiro Fushimi, left, and Masaru Minowa
When the suspect found out that the girl had run away from home, she invited her to live at her residence in Kasukabe City. She then encouraged the girl to engage in prostitution.
Minowa is an acquaintance of Fushimi. Together, they posed as the girl online to recruit customers interested in arrangements known as papakatsu , or compensated dating. The suspects drove the girl to met the men contacted online.
Fushima and Minowa collected 120,000 yen from the girl's customers.
The girl stayed at Fushimi's house for six days. She then returned to her parents.
The incident came to light when her parents filed a missing persons report.
Police have also sent documents on the pair to prosecutions on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse.

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