Although the practice has been banned by local ordinances, aggressive “scouts” can still be found on the streets of Tokyo and other big cities, energetically recruiting young women to work in bars and sex shops.
To get around the laws, some have moved their activity indoors, only to find that illegal as well. Last week Yasuhiro Fuseishi, a 36-year-old former actor, was arrested for arranging parties at which young women were encouraged to take up the world’s oldest profession.
In addition to Fuseishi, Nikkan Gendai (Mar. 13) reports that a group of these scouts, numbering a dozen in all, were arrested on charges of violating the section in the employment law banning recruitment activities for “undesirable” professions. Police claimed that the group had dispatched between 50 to 70 young women to sex shops, which were kicking back between 10 to 15 percent of the girls’ take, which came to between 3.5 to 4 million yen per month, to the scouts.
“The scouts would accost about 200 women a day,” says a police source. “They even compiled a manual giving pointers on who to approach, with contents like ‘Gals carrying expensive brand-name bags like to show off and are easy to persuade.’ At its peak the group had 16 members.”
“Most of these scouts get about 10 percent of the girl’s monthly turnover,” says “pink” journalist Yukio Murakami. “In the case of real beauties — rated ‘class A’ — it can go up to 20 percent. If the girl does 3 million yen worth of business, that’ll earn the scout 600,000 yen a month right there. And the money keeps coming in for as long as she stays in the business.
“Sometimes the scouts will work as a girl’s bodyguard on the side as well,” adds Murakami. “But while those at the top of their profession make over 1 million yen, over 70 percent make 200,000 yen or less. Some of them are moonlighting salarymen, who do it to supplement their pay. They make out pretty well, raking in half a million yen or more in a month.” (K.S.)
Source: “Sukautoman wa doredake mokaru?” Nikkan Gendai (Mar. 13, page 7)