LEAD: Japan seeks info from China on prostitution case

Asian Political News, Oct 6, 2003

BEIJING, Sept. 30 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH NEW INFORMATION)

Japan has asked China for a fuller investigation of a Sept. 17 mass prostitution incident involving Japanese travelers before deciding how to respond diplomatically, a Japanese Embassy source said Tuesday.

But the source said that if what actually happened turns out as reported in the media, which say 380 Japanese businessmen arranged for 500 prostitutes at the Zhuhai International Conference Center Hotel, the embassy will report the incident to authorities in Japan as a case of Japanese citizens violating Chinese laws.

''As to the factual aspects of the case, it is not yet clear,'' said the embassy source. ''If things have happened as reported, it would be regrettable.''

''It is natural for Japanese citizens visiting China to observe Chinese laws,'' he said. ''We hope this will not cause a negative impact on our bilateral relations.''

The source said he did not know whether the incident in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, should be considered a diplomatic issue.

Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's deputy director general of consular affairs held a '''business-like'' meeting with the Japanese Embassy's minister in charge of political affairs, according to the ministry's Web site.

The Chinese side called the incident ''illegal''' and ''an injury to the feelings of Chinese people,'' and urged Japan to educate its citizens in China to follow Chinese laws.

Because the incident took place in public areas of the hotel around the anniversary of Japan's invasion of China 72 years ago, Chinese media and Internet sites have hinted the Japanese businessmen wanted to insult China.

Internet bulletin boards and chat rooms have ''exploded'' with comments since Chinese media reported the case over the weekend, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

Sohu.com, one of China's largest portals, has posted ''several tens of thousands'' of comments since Sunday. ''Mainly they are anti-Japan comments, though some of them are directed at Zhuhai,'' said Sohu chief editor Chen Tong.

The ministry said it hoped the incident would not hurt bilateral relations and agreed to provide more information to the Japanese Embassy about what happened, the source said.

A key question is whether the five-star hotel, which is now closed for investigation, broke national antiprostitution laws by arranging the women as alleged.