A hearing has been scheduled over allegations that hundreds of Japanese businessmen frolicked with prostitutes at a hotel in southern China during a sensitive wartime anniversary, state media reported yesterday.
The Zhuhai Intermediate People's Court will take testimony from hotel managers, nightclub bosses, prostitutes and employees of the Japanese company allegedly involved in the incident, the China Daily newspaper and other media reported.
The report did not give a date for the hearing, but said it could last several days.
Defendants could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty should it go to trial, the newspaper said, citing an unidentified court official. Telephone calls went unanswered at the court yesterday.
The hearing marks authorities' latest attempt to respond to public outrage over the reported sex romp, word of which spread like wildfire over the Internet.
China's Foreign Ministry has lodged official complaints with the Japanese Embassy and demanded that Japanese citizens respect Chinese laws while they are inside the country.
Prostitution is technically illegal in China, although the sex industry is rampant in much of the country.
According to reports of the Sept. 16 to Sept. 18 incident, about 400 Japanese businessmen attended a banquet with some 500 Chinese hostesses at Zhuhai's ritzy Yuehai Hotel, then continued the party at the five-star Zhuhai International Conference Center Hotel. Eyewitnesses said the businessmen cavorted with their dates in the halls and elevators and attempted to raise a Japanese flag in the lobby.
Both hotels have since been closed by authorities in Zhuhai, a major export-manufacturing center bordering Hong Kong that has long enjoyed a reputation for its freewheeling nightlife.
Sept. 18 marks the anniversary of an attack by Japanese forces in 1931 that China regards as the start of Japan's brutal World War II invasion and occupation.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X. Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled
RSS