“Cheap Sex”: Men Who Pushed Prostitution to Tourists in Kabukicho Arrested

We’ve warned before about the dangers of barkers in Kabukicho. They’re doubly dangerous when the activity they’re pushing is illegal. Case in point: the men who just got busted for trying to prostitute Japanese women to foreigners in the first case of its kind in Japan.

According to NHK News and Sankei Shimbun, the seven men – led by 54-year-old brothel manager Sudo Kazuki – ran Men’s Este SPARAKU and another store. Police arrested Sudo and the other six for taking money from customers in exchange for “sponsoring” a location for prostitution to occur.

While 性風俗 (seifuuzoku), or licensed brothels, exist in Japan, penetrative sex is forbidden by law. While penetrative sex may occur between, say, a staff member at an establishment like a soapland and a customer, it often occurs off premises and is explained as a “free exchange of love” between the two parties.

While SPARAKU was licensed as a “men’s este,” or relaxation salon, police say it crossed the line by explicitly sponsoring prostitution. Owner Sudo found female workers by approaching women who were already engaged in street prostitution at nearby Okubo Park, which has become a hotbed for Tokyo’s illegal sex trade. Sudo targeted women, such as one 18-year-old interviewed by police, who had accumulated massive debt from attending host clubs in Kabukicho.

Sudo’s workers also engage in barkering, or 客引き (kyaku-hiki), explicitly calling out to and encouraging customers to enter the clubs —which, as we discussed previously, is also illegal.

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Police recovered money from 16 different countries from the stores. Sudo admitted to police that foreigners compromised around 90% of the company’s business and that he explicitly marketed “cheap sex with Japanese women” to inbound male travelers. This makes the case the first time that police have busted someone for pushing prostitution specifically to incoming tourists.

Six of those arrested, including Sudo, have admitted to facilitating prostitution. One person is opting to remain silent.