Trial begins in China for 14 accused of arranging controversial Japanese sex party

Under heavy security, a trial opened yesterday against 14 people accused of organising a sex party for hundreds of Japanese tourists on a sensitive wartime anniversary, a court official said.

Under heavy security, a trial opened yesterday against 14 people accused of organising a sex party for hundreds of Japanese tourists on a sensitive wartime anniversary, a court official said.

The incident in the southern city of Zhuhai in September caused an uproar in China and prompted an official Chinese complaint to the Japanese government.

All of the defendants Friday in the Zhuhai Intermediate Court were Chinese and were charged with organizing prostitution. An official of the prosecutor's office said he didn't know of any plans to press charges against any Japanese.

But Japan's Asahi newspaper reported on its Web site that Chinese authorities were building a case against three Japanese suspected of involvement.

According to Chinese news reports, about 400 Japanese men and as many as 500 Chinese hostesses had sex at a Zhuhai hotel over a three-day period that ended on September 18. That was the anniversary of a Japanese attack on a city in China's northeast in 1931 that many Chinese regard as the start of Japan's World War II invasion and occupation.

The defendants include two employees of the Zhuhai International Conference Center Hotel and 12 organizers of prostitution known in Chinese as "mami" or "mothers," the New Beijing Newspaper reported.

Security at the Zhuhai courthouse was tight and a court official said reporters clamoring outside wouldn't be allowed in.

"You can't get any information. The trial is not open to the public," said the official, who refused to give his name.

Prostitution, although illegal, is common in China and is often practiced openly in tourist hotels in major cities.

But the timing of the event in Zhuhai prompted outrage as word spread over the Internet in China, where many feel that Japan has failed to atone for its wartime brutality. On Friday, expressions of disgust were posted on message boards.

"Japanese people are detestable!" said one unsigned note left on the Sina.com Web site. "But the Chinese who arranged the prostitution are worse!! ... They are the scum of the nation!!!!!"

"Why are only Chinese being tried and not Japanese?" said another unsigned note on the same site. "Didn't the Japanese commit the crime of organizing the prostitution? This is ridiculous!"

Chinese newspapers refer to the event as the "Japanese orgy."

It wasn't clear how long the trial would last, but the newspaper said court workers were given both Friday and Saturday off. Most trials in China last one day, though verdicts are often not issued for several weeks.

A notice from the court published in the Beijing Times newspaper said the proceeding was closed to the public because it involved matters of "personal privacy."