ABSTRACT
Three of the women interviewed knew through their friends and/or the mass media that they would end up heavily indebted and in a situation in which they had little control over their work if they went to Japan under this type of contract. Women are recruited in cities or rural areas in Thailand, sold to brokers who have contacts in Japan, and brought, usually by the brokers, to their first work-places in Japan. Recruiters and brokers in Thailand include various kinds of people such as members of organized crime syndicates, travel agents, small business owners, and Japanese businessmen. "Hostess" is the term used in Japan for a female worker who entertains a customer by chatting, pouring drinks, singing, dancing, hugging, etc. in bars and nightclubs. The work of bar hostesses ranges from menial service through intellectual entertainment to providing physical and emotional comfort.
