Japan court orders payment of wages to 7 Cambodians, nixes damages for forced prostitution
February 15, 2023 (Mainichi Japan)
MAEBASHI -- A court here ordered three individuals on Feb. 10 to pay seven Cambodian women about 170,000 yen ($1,300) per person in unpaid wages, but dismissed the plaintiffs' claim for damages over forced prostitution.
The seven women sought payment of about 8.9 million yen ($67,000) from the three people who had forced them to work, claiming that they were coerced into prostitution without pay.
According to a written complaint, the seven came to Japan in November 2016 after being told by a former gang leader and others that they could earn $3,000 to $5,000 per month working as waitresses in Japan. They verbally signed employment contracts for $2,000 per month and worked at the Ikaho hot spring resort in the city of Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, and other locations. They claimed that they were forced to engage in prostitution and were not paid wages.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230215/p2a/00m/0na/002000c
