TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two men who used the internet to find customers for a girl who turned to prostitution to cover school expenses, reports TBS News (Nov. 29).
In April, Yoshikazu Kenmoku, 26, and Ken Takahashi, 27, allegedly used a smartphone deai-kei “matchmaking” app to arrange for the girl, aged 16 at the time, to serve as a prostitute for a male customer at a hotel in Saitama Prefecture.
According to the Ushigome Police Station, Kenmoku admits to the allegations. However, Takahashi partially denies the charges, saying that he “does not recall the age of the girl.”
The suspects found the girl via Twitter. “High income available nationwide. I will introduce you if you are under 18,” the message read.
On the smartphone app, the suspects posed as the girl in contacting men. Over a one-month period, they provided her with 7 customers, police said.
“I did it after my parents told me that due to financial problems at home that I would need to raise school tuition money myself,” the girl told police.
