The Japanese Embassy in Laos issued a stern warning that Japanese nationals who travel to Laos and are involved in child sex crimes will face double punishment
According to the announcement issued by the Japanese Embassy in Laos, there have been posts on social media recently suggesting that Japanese people are involved in child prostitution in Laos. In response, the Embassy solemnly reminds that any act of child prostitution in Laos will not only be subject to criminal prosecution by the Laotian judicial authorities (according to the Laotian Criminal Law, such as “child rape”, etc.), but will also be considered an “extraterritorial crime” by Japanese nationals and will be subject to criminal punishment in Japan in accordance with the “Child Prostitution and Child Pornography Prohibition Law”.
According to the “Child Prostitution and Child Pornography Prohibition Law”, those under the age of 18 are “children”. The law explicitly prohibits child prostitution, as well as the introduction and solicitation of children for sex transactions, or the possession, production, and public display of child pornography, and even includes the sale of children for the purpose of child prostitution. It is worth noting that even if the perpetrator claims that he “did not know that the other party was under 18 years old”, he still cannot be exempted from criminal responsibility in the case of introducing, soliciting or publicly displaying child pornography.
In addition, the law belongs to “crime without complaint”, even if the victim does not file a complaint, it can be investigated and punished according to law.
The announcement pointed out that the Japanese police have maintained close cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies in combating sexual crimes involving children abroad by Japanese citizens, and actively investigated related cases.
At the same time, the embassy reminded that in Laos, it is not limited to children. All prostitution and buying of sex are prohibited by Laotian domestic laws and may face legal sanctions.
The embassy called on Japanese nationals who plan to go to or are currently stranded in Laos to abide by the laws of the two countries, strictly self-control, and not engage in any illegal behavior.
