TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday announced that a crackdown on prostitution in the city’s nightlife areas last month resulted in the arrest of 24 women, reports Nippon News Network (Dec. 3).
Starting on November 1, officers began targeting women offering sexual services in the streets of Kabukicho and Ikebukuro. The suspects, who are between 18 and 60 years of age, charged approximately 15,000 yen per session.
According to TBS News (Dec. 3), one 30-year-old woman, taken into custody after accompanying a man to the entrance of love hotel in Kabukicho, said she engaged in prostitution in order to obtain money to spend at host clubs.
“If I looked at a man walking, the face of Yukichi Fukuzawa would appear,” said one woman in referring to the author whose likeness adorns the 10,000 yen note.
Police said that street solicitation has been on the rise in Kabukicho, and plans are in place to strengthen enforcement.