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Tokyo cops make arrests following raids of school girl ‘reflexology’ parlors

Tokyo police raided 17 shops in the metropolis
Tokyo police raided 17 shops in the metropolis

TOKYO (TR) – After a sweep through 17 so-called joshi kosei (high-school girl) “reflexology” massage parlors last month, Tokyo Metropolitan police announced on Thursday the arrest of four employees, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 7).

Officers took managers Yosuke Kiyama, 29, and Takashi Nemoto, 31, and two other employees from a total of four clubs into custody for violations related to the Labor Standards Act regarding harmful employment.

On January 27, officers from the juvenile affairs division searched the clubs in entertainment districts in the metropolis, including Shinjuku, Ikebukuro (club Cherry Girl), Shibuya (Shibuya 108 Rifure Kan) and Akihabara (Furiru and Hokago Rifure 22).

Of the employees on the premises at the time of the raids, 76 of the 115 females were minors. Four employees were 15 years old.

Nemoto is the manager of Furiru, which reportedly generates 7.6 million yen in revenue each month. “Another shop was profitable so I thought I’d do it myself,” the suspect was quoted by police.

The basic entry fees at most clubs — many of which promote themselves as reflexology businesses offering foot massages — is approximately 3,000 yen. A customer can lie down in a private room next to a school girl and chat with her for 30 minutes.

Of great concern to police is that regular customers could be paying the girls for additional “off the menu” sexual activities.

Dubbed “JK rifure” for short, the parlors began to increase in Akihabara and Ikebukuro one or two years ago. The total number of establishments in the metropolis is believed to be approximately 80.