HIROSHIMA (TR) – Hiroshima Prefectural Police on Wednesday a 22-year-old member of an affiliate gang of the Yamaguchi-gumi for prostituting an underage girl, reports NHK (Oct. 29).
On July 9 and 10, Fukutaro Iwasaki, a member of the Kodo-kai, is alleged to have arranged for the girl, 17, to meet male customers at hotels in Naka Ward of the city of Hiroshima and Higashi Hiroshima City. The girl charged 15,000 yen per session.
Iwasaki, who has been charged with violating anti-prostitution and child welfare laws, denies the allegations, telling police he has no knowledge of the matter.
On August 21, Hiroshima police raided a Kodo-kai office, located in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, after Iwasaki had been placed on a nationwide wanted list. Seven days later, police apprehended the suspect in the Gifu town of Anpachi.
The matter came to light after a cyber division of the Hiroshima police found a message posted by the girl on a matchmaking bulletin board in which she sought an enjo kosai (or compensated dating) relationship. She was later taken into protective custody, according to Yukan Fuji (Oct. 29).