TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week busted a specialized hostess club for licensing irregularities, reports TV Asahi (Nov. 19).
On November 16, officers entered “girl’s bar” Feliz, located in Akishima City, and discovered three male customers sitting opposite from an equal number of hostesses in their 20s at the counter.
The manager of the club, Kenta Namatame, 23, was subsequently arrested for violations under the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses as the club was not licensed to provide a nightclub environment.
A girl’s bar is a variation of a hostess club in which the club is legally registered as an after-hours, eating-and-drinking establishment so as to avoid more strict regulations under the adult-entertainment law. A bar or cafe appearance is provided while near hostess club services are rendered.
The manager has reportedly admitted to the allegations. “There is no mistake that adult-entertainment was provided,” the suspect is quoted by police.
The bar received a warning regarding its operations in September, reports Fuji Network News, yet it was ignored.
According to investigators, Feliz utilized a system in which a customer could request a particular hostesses as a conversation companion. The club had collected two million yen in monthly revenue since opening in July and maintained 11 hostesses on its books.