Under heavy security, a Chinese court on Friday began hearing the case of 14 people accused of organising a mass orgy for Japanese tourists that sparked public uproar and diplomatic protests.
If convicted, the 12 suspected ”mamis” (women who supply prostitutes) and two hotel staff face up to 10 years in prison for their role in the two-night debauch, which is said to have involved 400 Japanese men and 500 Chinese prostitutes.
In a sign of the sensitivity of the case, the court in Zhuhai, in Guangdong province, was closed to the public and media. Television reporters outside the building said police were standing by to prevent possible anti-Japanese protests.
The tourists, mostly employees of Kooki, an Osaka-based construction company, checked into the hotel in Zhuhai on September 16.
Details of what followed remain sketchy, but indignant reports in the local media have enraged the Chinese public, particularly as the alleged orgy finished on September 18 — a wartime anniversary.
The Japanese are said to have paid between £90 and £130 a night — more than double the rate for a single room at the plush hotel.
According to the Japanese media, Kooki has acknowledged paying for hostesses to entertain its holidaying staff, but denies sponsoring any illegal activity. None of the suspects on trial is from Japan.
Witness quoted in domestic newspapers have said the guests had been ”flirting” openly with the women in lifts.
If something raunchier occurred, it would not be a first. Prostitution is against the law, but huge red light districts are mushrooming in Chinese cities. In many hotels, staff openly offer to procure women for guests.
This case, however, stirred up nationalist ire because of its scale, the nationality of the alleged perpetrators and the timing. In China, September 18 is remembered as ”the day of shame” — the anniversary of the 1931 Mukden incident, which led to the Japanese army’s invasion of Manchuria, the atrocities of its germ warfare unit and the use of Chinese as sex slaves.
As reports emerged of the alleged orgy, website bulletin boards were flooded with anti-Japanese messages. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman described it as ”odious”. After a government complaint, Japanese authorities launched their own investigation.
In the wake of the uproar the governments of both countries, which are close trading partners, will be looking to the trial for a sense of closure. But the Chinese public may not be so easily appeased. Yesterday, website bulletin board contributors were indignant that it was only Chinese nationals who faced charges.
”Why were those who went whoring not on trial?” asked one. ”Chinese should unite and boycott Japanese goods.”
The timing of the verdict is unknown, but Chinese courts have a record of delivering verdicts within one or two days. – Guardian Unlimited Â