17-year-old Kyushu girl pimped by married couple to 600 customers

TOKYO (TR) – Kumamoto Prefectural Police on Tuesday announced the filing of charges against a married couple for prostituting a 17-year-old girl to approximately 600 customers over a 10-month period, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 24).

On March 4, officers arrested Ryuji Matsunaga, 24, and his 22-year-old wife for prostituting a person they knew to be a minor — a violation of the Anti-Prostitution Law and child welfare statutes.

According to the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun (Apr. 23), the couple met the girl, who had run away from home, through an acquaintance at a laundromat in December of 2011. She expressed an interest in finding employment.

Soon after, the couple arranged for the girl to meet male customers at love hotels through “encounter” matchmaking sites accessible by mobile phone.

Fees for her services ranged between 13,000 and 15,000 yen per session, with the total estimated income reaching eight million yen over the 10-month period. The girl received 60 percent of the proceeds, while the two defendants kept the remainder.

At the end of September of last year, the girl contacted her parents and revealed her means of employment.

Matsunaga has reportedly admitted to the allegations. “We thought we would be successful in earning income,” the defendant is quoted by police.