TOKYO (TR) – Middle and high school girls are increasingly turning to street prostitution in the capital’s nightlife districts to pay for expensive fan services offered by “men’s underground idols,” reports Fuji News Network (May 27).
Known in Japanese as men-chika, these male entertainers operate outside major talent agencies, performing live shows at small venues. Their main selling point is an extreme level of intimacy with their fans, a dynamic that is driving young girls to desperate measures to raise cash.
One 15-year-old girl revealed she has spent approximately 3 million yen on various men-chika since she was in her second year of junior high school. To bankroll her obsession, she began standing on the streets of the notorious Kabukicho district to solicit prostitution.
Showing off a concert penlight, the teen said, “This cost 100,000 yen. I paid it because I really liked him. The appeal is how close you can get to them.”
“If I pay 3 million yen”
The streets of Kabukicho are littered with similar cases. Another teenage girl waiting for prostitution clients admitted she got hooked on the underground idol scene last year.
“If I pay 3 million yen, we can go to Universal Studios together,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the performers themselves show little remorse regarding how their young fans acquire such massive sums of money.
“It’s highly cost-effective,” one male underground idol said. “They are spending the money because they want to. It’s not like I’m asking them to do it.”
Gray area
While recent revisions to the law have cracked down on predatory billing practices and unpaid tabs at host clubs, men-chika operate in a legal gray area with no systemic regulations in place to protect minors.
The National Police Agency has acknowledged the growing crisis.
“We are aware of cases where this is contributing to underage prostitution,” an agency representative stated. However, they noted the difficulty in regulating the industry. “The definition of an ‘idol’ is vague, making it difficult to draw a line between this and lawful business operations. We will continue to crack down on any actions that violate existing laws.”
