TOKYO (TR) – On February 10, a woman, looking nervous in a black suit, appeared at the Tokyo District Court.
Ai Tano, 21, was an employee at a so-called “girl’s bar” in Ikebukuro. Together with manager Maoya Suzuki, 39, she allegedly forced a former female employee in her 20s to engage in prostitution.
When she was taken into custody by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department last October, she had shoulder-length brown hair. However, on this day, her hair was short, styled in a bob and dyed black.
During the hearing, new facts were revealed, including the fact that Tano and Suzuki were in a relationship while the crime was committed, reports News Post Seven (Feb. 14).
“Engage in prostitution”
At the judge’s urging, the defendant took the witness stand. Standing at attention with her back and arms straight, she stated her date of birth and registered domicile.
The prosecutor then read out the indictment: “At the time, the defendant was working as a manager at a girls’ bar in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Between May 15 and July 11, 2025, she conspired with the bar manager, Maoya Suzuki, 39, to force the female victim to live in the bar and engage in prostitution with an unspecified number of men on the streets of Shinjuku Ward’s Okubo Park and other areas.”
The defendant admitted that the indictment was “not wrong.” As well, her lawyer did not contest the charges.
“Began a relationship”
Referred to as a girl’s bar, Suzuki’s establishment — E-Wave Morning — provided services similar to those on offer at a hostess club. It was located near JR Ikebukuro Station.
According to prosecutors, Tano began working at bar rented by Suzuki around April 2023. She dropped out of university after joining.
A source close to the bar at the time tells News Post Seven, “I recall Tano joining the bar about three years ago. She’d just moved from the countryside. For the first year or so, she was a simple, nice girl. She’d even remembered the birthdays of the female night staff and regulars, and made a point of showing up. But the following year, she completely changed.”
At first, she only served customers and solicited them alongside the other employees, but the following year she became a manager, overseeing employee attendance and compensation. In the prosecutor’s words, she became “the highest-ranking employee.”
The prosecutor continued: “The defendant also began a relationship with Suzuki in 2023.”
Peaceful days were short-lived
The victim told the court, “I want not only the manager but also the defendant to be punished. I want a punishment so severe that she can’t find a new job again.”
Tano is alleged to have conspired with Suzuki to force the victim to engage in sexual acts with at least 400 customers over the course of three months.
The victim started working at the bar in September of 2024. At first, she appeared to be working without any problems. However, her peaceful days were short-lived.
The prosecution stated: “Suzuki, citing reasons such as ‘low sales,’ forced the victim to work at a cabaret club separate from the bar from the month after she joined. He made her report the number of customers she served and her salary, and collected the money she earned.
When the victim under-reported her salary or was reprimanded for her poor customer service, Suzuki would punch, kick and even hit her with a champagne bottle.
“[This was] behavior that Tano frequently witnessed,” the prosecution said.
Okubo Park
In January 2025, Tano began to cooperate “managing” the victim, seemingly in response to the wishes of Suzuki.
The prosecution continued: “Following his instructions, the defendant would check the victim’s interactions with customers on her mobile phone. Around this time, Suzuki told her, ‘Okubo Park is the only place you can make money.’ He then instructed her to engage in prostitution.”
Soon after, Suzuki terminated her lease on the house the woman had rented. She then began sleeping in a tiny space in the back of the bar.
The prosecution said: “The victim began working at the bar during the day from around March 2025. She would take naps inside the bar and work as a streetwalker on the streets of Shinjuku at night. Together with Suzuki, Tano equipped her with GPS cards to monitor her whereabouts.”
She had them report her behavior while waiting for customers, the status of negotiations, the names of hotels and the duration of their stays in a group on the chat app Line. She was also instructed to record her interactions with customers and sexual acts.
“I had no choice”
During questioning, the woman reportedly recalled her routine at the time.”I didn’t want to suddenly have sex with a large number of people,” she said. “I thought that if I resisted, [Suzuki] would ask me if I could make money elsewhere or become violent. I had no choice but to accept it and work as a streetwalker.”
No statements were made by Tano during the trial that day. Instead, she listened intently to the prosecutor’s explanation, examining the documents in front of her throughout. The court adjourned about 30 minutes after the hearing began.
Tano left the courtroom alongside an older couple, likely her parents, and her lawyer. As they exited, defendant was speaking with tears welled up in her eyes.
