Kobe soapland busted for employing 13-year-old girl

Chikara Kamimura

TOKYO (TR) – Hyogo prefectural police on Friday slapped charges of child endangerment on the manager of a Kobe brothel after he allegedly employed a 13-year-old girl last year, reports Nikkan Sports (Apr. 16).

Chikara Kamimura, 44, manager of club Proud, a soapland (erotic bathhouse) in the Fukuhara district, was written up for violating the Child Welfare Law. According to the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 23), Kamimura was initially arrested on February 22 for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law.

At the time of the bust, police found five women aged between 30 and 40 years of age on the premises dispensing sexual services out of private rooms. The club’s Website, however, boasted of offering women under the age of 20. An anonymous tip regarding the possible employment of a minor led police to the establishment.

The girl utilized a 21-year-old friend’s driver’s license during the application process. “I thought she was over 18 years old,” Kamimura is quoted by police in denying the charge.

The girl reportedly told police that she took the job, which lasted for a week around last May, to obtain spending money.

On Monday, a 31-year-old restaurant manager was among three men charged with violating the Employment Security Act regarding harmful business affairs in introducing the girl to the club. All three have denied the allegations.

13歳少女をソープランドで働かせる　経営者追送検

Posted by Tokyo Reporter on April 16, 2012. Filed under Tokyo Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.