OSAKA (TR) – The Osaka District Court on July 29 handed a suspended sentence to the 29-year-old leader of a street scouting group for introducing women into the sex industry, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (July 29).
Ren Konami, representative of the scout group Truss, was convicted of recruiting three women in their 20s and dispatching them to work at fukozu (commercial sex) establishments in cities including Sapporo and Nagoya two years ago.
Operating primarily out of Osaka’s bustling entertainment districts, members of Truss would target young women on the street. In exchange for supplying the women to the sex parlors, Konami’s group collected lucrative commission fees, commonly referred to in the industry as “scout backs.”
Konami had admitted to the allegations during the trial.
In handing down the ruling, the presiding judge condemned the illicit operation. “This was a habitual and organized crime,” the court stated. “As the representative of the group, the defendant’s responsibility is grave.”
However, noting that Konami had admitted to the charges and demonstrated remorse, the judge sentenced him to two years and six months in prison, suspended for three years.
