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The Conversation
Ming Gao, Research Fellow of East Asia Studies, Lund University

A rare, direct warning from Japan signals a shift in the fight against child sex tourism in Asia

Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images

Japan’s embassy in Laos and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a rare and unusually direct advisory, warning Japanese men against “buying sex from children” in Laos.

The move was sparked by Ayako Iwatake, a restaurant owner in Vientiane, who allegedly saw social media posts of Japanese men bragging about child prostitution. In response, she launched a petition calling for government action.

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