TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the 26-year-old operator of a fake “men’s esthetic” massage salon and three of his employees for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of a Shinjuku Ward apartment, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sep. 9).
Ryota Kasahara, the owner of a sex business named Bonnou-ji who resides in the Nishi-Ochiai area, and three male staff members are accused of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law by providing a venue for illicit sexual acts.
According to the police, the four men conspired on July 17 to set up a “playroom” inside a condominium in the Okubo district, providing a space for female employees to turn tricks with customers.
While the business was heavily advertised online as a legitimate “men’s esthetic” massage parlor, investigators revealed it was secretly operating as a brothel. Customers were charged a basic rate of 10,000 yen for just 15 minutes of sexual services.
Police estimate that since the shop and its predecessor opened around March of this year, the illicit operation has raked in approximately 80 million yen. The profits were reportedly split evenly between the shop’s management and the female employees.
Investigators noted that at least three of the women working at the salon had been lured into the business by street scouts. Police are now probing the potential involvement of an illegal street scouting syndicate tied to the shop.
Tokyo police have not disclosed whether Kasahara and his associates have admitted to the charges.
