TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have re-arrested three men, including a 26-year-old business manager, for operating a brothel out of a Shinjuku Ward apartment, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sep. 30).
Ryota Kasahara, the operator of the sex parlor Shinjuku Shinchi Plus, and two accomplices have admitted to allegations of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law, according to police.
On June 23, the trio allegedly conspired to set up a “playroom” inside the condominium, located in Hyakunincho district, by providing a space for female employees to prostitute themselves to clients.
According to investigators, the suspects used websites to disguise the business as a “men’s esthetic” massage salon. In reality, female employees were directed to engage in prostitution for a basic rate of 10,000 yen per 15 minutes.
Police estimate that the operation, along with its successor shop Bonno-ji, raked in approximately 80 million yen in revenue between March and September of this year.
The case may point to a much larger criminal network. An analysis of the suspects’ smartphones has revealed suspected ties to Natural, one of Japan’s largest illegal scouting syndicates.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to uncover the full scope of the group’s operations.
