Anonymous hotline receives 240 tips on crimes such as child prostitution, trafficking

The Mainichi Shimbun
January 31, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080131p2a00m0na015000c.html

A hotline set up to receive anonymous tips on crimes such as trafficking of women and child prostitution received 240 calls supplying information in the three months between October and December last year, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday.

Police said two cases were formed based on the tips, including one citing a violation of the adult business entertainment law.

Forty-four of the reports were related to human trafficking and 98 concerned incidents against juvenile welfare, including child prostitution, police said.

The toll-free hotline service started in October last year, with operation entrusted to the nonprofit organization Guardian Angels Japan. Up to 100,000 yen is paid for information that leads to victims being taken into protective custody or arrests of suspects, but so far no one has come forward to claim any money and no payments have been made.

NPA officials said they wanted to promote the system.

"In order to collect information on crimes against women and children, which are often masked, we want to continue to promote the system," a police representative said.

（Mainichi Japan） January 31, 2008