REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS: Japanese man “linked to 15 babies born to surrogate mothers in Thailand, and is also believed to have engaged surrogates in India.”

At this stage, the Japanese businessman does not face any criminal charges. Authorities from the Metropolitan Police Bureau as well as the Ministry of Health say that surrogacy and human trafficking are two separate issues, and they were still trying to piece together Mr Shigeta’s motives for fathering so many children. . . .

It seems money is an unlikely factor. The 24-year-old is rumoured to be the son of Japanese billionaire Yasumitsu Shigeta, founder of mobile phone distribution company Hikari Tsushin Inc.

Mr Yasumitsu was once one of the world’s richest men before losing much of his fortune in the dotcom crash. He has since restored at least some of his former US$42 billion wealth, and now sits at No 16 on Japan’s rich list.

A Mitsutoki Shigeta is named as a shareholder in Hikari Tsushin, but it has not been possible to confirm if it is the same person tied to the surrogacy case.