TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have launched a crackdown on the increasing number of women soliciting prostitution around the Okubo Park area of the Kabukicho red-light district.
The number of women loitering on streets in the area, often sitting on a guardrail, has increased in recent months, with many foreign tourists serving as their customers, according to police.
On a day in October, investigators, who specialize in policing illegal sex entertainment establishments and prostitution, were called in to crack down on women waiting for customers.
The investigators blend into Kabukicho in plain clothes. They look around to see if there are any women waiting for customers.
“They believe that there is always a reason why they have to commit these crimes,” says Masahiro Handa, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Division. “However, we must first make them understand that prostitution is a crime.”
Nippon News Network accompanies them on this day. In their report, the network learns of the circumstances that led women to turn to this crime, including amassed debts at host clubs. As well, it sees that some are directed to a fresh start.
“Maybe today is my second time”
One investigator’s eye catches a young woman standing on the side of the road. A discussion ensues. Initially, she denies “waiting for someone.” However, she then reveals the going rate is 20,000 yen.
As the conversation continues, she asks to see his health insurance card. According to the network, this is a common means for determining if someone is a member of law enforcement since their cards are different from others.
After the investigator says she is under arrest for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law, she reveals that she is 24 years old.
“How long have you been doing this?” he asks. She responds, “Oh, today is my first time.”
Skeptical, the investigator probes, “First time?” She responds, “Oh, maybe today is my second time.”
“I forced her into prostitution”
Police arrested a total of 50 people in this simultaneous crackdown.
One of the reasons so many women turn to prostitution is debts amassed at host clubs. That same month, police arrested a bar host for forcing the 24-year-old woman into prostitution. “I’m sure I forced her into prostitution,” he told police.
The suspect told her to make up to 50,000 yen in one day to cover food and drinks at the host club.
In addition, he forced her to send him a selfie as she stood at Okubo Park as evidence that she was waiting for customers. Many of the women arrested in this round of crackdowns were prostituting themselves to pay for host clubs and concept cafes, according to police.
Police and government join forces to provide support
Three weeks after she was released, the woman was at a ward office in Tokyo. She was accompanied by an investigator who was helping her make a fresh start.
“We don’t just arrest them,” an investigator in charge of support says. “We also work with the government to connect them to support to prevent them from committing crimes again.”
Some woman are hampered by being unemployed, having no place to live — in fact, they might be selling their bodies to sleep in a manga cafe — and are estranged from their parents.
“So we first help them find a place to live to help them break away from those situations,” the investigator continues. “After that, we help them find a job.”
Police connects women with a government-affiliated support program. Although the assistance varies slightly depending on the municipality, they can support all aspects of life, such as a finding a place to live, covering immediate living expenses and pointing them to employment opportunities and medical treatment if they are sick.
After hearing this from the investigator, the 24-year-old woman requested support.
However, many women are reluctant to communicate with others due to their past circumstances. At present, only 20 to 30 percent of arrested women actually receive support.
“I thought it would be nice if I could earn a little money”
The network was able to talk to one woman who received support. Yuki Takano, a pseudonym, is aged in her 20s. In 2023, she was arrested twice for soliciting prostitution.
“There was an artist I liked, and I thought it would be nice if I could earn a little money so I could go to his concert,” she says.
Takano adds that she entered prostitution without much thought. After that, a man she met on social media asked her if she wanted to earn money together, and she gradually began to be forced to wait for customers at Okubo Park.
“I really wanted to quit, but [the man] knew where I lived and was making a living from violence,” she said. “I couldn’t get out of that fear, and even if I went to the police, it would be considered prostitution.”
“I felt like I was finally going to get out of this mess”
A sense of helplessness overcame her. Takano says that she couldn’t go to the police for advice because she was afraid of being arrested. But a turning point came.
“When I was arrested for the second time,” Takano says, “I was happy for some reason when they said, ‘It’s the police.’ I said, ‘I wanted to be caught.’ When the detective said, ‘That must have been tough,’ I felt like I was finally going to get out of this mess.”
After that, she spoke with investigators and lawyers at the detention facility and decided to start over with support.
“They explained the situation to the person in charge at the ward office,” Takano says. “A week or two later, I was approved for welfare, and I found a place to live [temporarily] for about three or four months. From there I went to the ward office and looked for a new job with an advisor.”
She is currently working as a receptionist at a company she was introduced to.
“I didn’t like the police. So, I didn’t think about going to them for advice,” Takano says. “If you are struggling financially, or if you are being threatened by a man behind your back, I think your life can change a little, like [mine] is now, and I hope you will at least try to talk to someone.”
