AICHI (TR) – Police have arrested five men, including the alleged mastermind of a massive hostess club syndicate, suspected of orchestrating a widespread string of exorbitant rip-offs in one of Nagoya’s nightlife districts, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 26).
Aichi Prefectural Police announced on Tuesday the arrest of 27-year-old Kentaro Yashiro and four others on suspicion of violating the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.
Police have not disclosed whether the suspects have admitted to the charges.
Yashiro is accused of being the ringleader of the Kentaro Group, a syndicate controlling approximately 30 kyabakura (hostess clubs) centered in the bustling Nishiki 3-chome entertainment district.
According to police, Yashiro and his accomplices operated a hostess club named Ciel over a roughly two-year period without obtaining the required permission from the prefectural public safety commission.
While the club’s business license was registered under a dummy name, police determined Yashiro was the true mastermind, actively directing operations and collecting the sales revenue.
5.6 billion yen over two years
The syndicate was highly lucrative — and predatory. Police estimate the group raked in a staggering 5.6 billion yen over a two-year period, largely fueled by aggressive bottakuri (rip-off) tactics. Of the 263 rip-off complaints reported to police in the Sakae area over a single year, nearly half — 117 cases — were directly linked to the Kentaro Group.
The group’s tactics frequently involved targeting intoxicated patrons. In one egregious case, a customer was lured off the street by a tout promising a cheap rate of “5,000 yen per set.” The victim drank at the club and fell asleep, only to be jolted awake and handed a bill for 1.7 million yen.
After desperate negotiations, the victim paid 950,000 yen in cash and was allowed to leave. However, upon returning home and checking his bag, he discovered a stack of unauthorized credit card receipts showing his card had been swiped at a completely different club for an additional 3.1 million yen while he was unconscious.
In another reported incident, a single customer was drained of over 6 million yen in just one night.
200 members
Investigators revealed the Kentaro Group operated like a highly structured criminal enterprise, boasting at least 200 members including street touts.
To thwart police investigations, the syndicate’s upper management communicated using highly anonymous messaging apps with auto-delete functions, and enforced a strict code of silence, instructing members to “say absolutely nothing about the clubs or the group if arrested.”
