TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have dismantled a pair of unscrupulous bars in the Kabukicho red-light district accused of systematically swindling foreign tourists in a sophisticated bottakuri (“rip-off”) operation, reports TBS News (Nov. 12).
On Wednesday, Tokyo police arrested five individuals — including Nigerian national Ekwueme Ambrose Oshita, the 62-year-old manager of karaoke bar Luxor — for allegedly allowing female staff to entertain male customers without the required legal permits under the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.
Investigators believe both establishments relied on foreign touts to lure unsuspecting tourists into the bars, where they were then hit with exorbitant, fraudulent charges.
While Oshita has opted to remain silent following his arrest, the four other suspects have admitted to the allegations.
Intensified police effort
The crackdown comes as part of an intensified police effort to clean up the notorious nightlife district.
According to the Shinjuku Police Station, there have been approximately 250 reports from foreign visitors since January alleging that their credit cards were used for unauthorized or fraudulent transactions at local businesses. The figure is an increase of about 200 compared to the same period last year.
Seventy percent of the victims are foreign nationals; in one instance, a victim was coerced into making credit card payments totaling approximately 9.6 million yen.
The two establishments targeted in this crackdown were linked to complaints involving losses totaling about 3.4 million yen. Scenarios in which foreign nationals of African descent approach visitors and lure them into these predatory establishments have become rampant.
In response, Tokyo police are stepping up countermeasures, including the distribution of cards containing warnings in English.
