TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Thursday began patrols in the Kabukicho red-light district of Shinjuku Ward to raise caution about prostitutes waiting for customers in the street, which is becoming a serious social problem, reports Fuji News Network (Oct. 11).
On the Thursday, police officers, in cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Shinjuku Ward, patrolled the area around Okubo Park in Kabukicho.
In this area, which includes a row of love hotels, women can be found standing and waiting for customers, a practice referred to as tachinbo.
According to police, public safety in this area around the park is a worsening problem, with curious onlookers getting into trouble with the waiting women.
Police plan to step up enforcement by conducting patrols about once a week. They will also focus on supporting women to reintegrate them into society, such as connecting them to welfare facilities.
Police and the government are calling for everyone’s “cooperation in maintaining a healthy environment within the city.”
