Increased Sevenfold in 5 Years... Spreading as a Social Issue
Easily Exposed to Various Crimes Such as Drug Use and Prostitution
A 15-year-old female student in Japan was arrested for illegally selling cold medicine, prompting a security alert. Both the seller and buyer of the medicine are known to be members of 'Toyoko Kids,' a group of delinquent youths gathered near Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo, which has caused even greater shock. They are collectively exposed to various crimes such as drug addiction and prostitution, spreading into a serious social problem.
On the 6th, Japan's TBS reported that the previous day, a 15-year-old high school girl was arrested on charges of illegally selling cold medicine to another high school girl. The girls met at a hotel near Kabukicho and traded 20 sheets of cold medicine at 5,000 yen (about 45,000 won), half the pharmacy retail price. It was revealed that they were all addicted to drugs and traded the medicine for the purpose of overdose.
During police investigations, it was revealed that all of them were Toyoko Kids. Toyoko Kids is a compound word of the Tokyo Shinjuku movie theater 'Toho Cinema' and the Japanese word 'yoko' (meaning 'beside'), named because they always gather beside Toho Cinema. Most are middle and high school students, but they are easily exposed to social problems such as drinking, smoking, drug addiction, assault, and underage prostitution.
The high school girl admitted to selling over-the-counter medicine without authorization during the investigation. She stated that the motive for the crime was "to use the money earned from selling pharmacy medicine to go to the hospital and get prescribed other drugs with stronger (overdose) effects."
However, during the testimony, she also said, "I sold it at a price similar to other Toyoko Kids," which caused further controversy. This means that drug overdose within Toyoko Kids is already rampant, and they are buying and selling over-the-counter drugs among themselves to find stronger drugs.
Toyoko Kids have been increasing rapidly recently, and the Japanese police are paying close attention. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the number of Toyoko Kids has increased sevenfold in the past five years, and the trend is growing as youths gather not only in Tokyo but also in areas outside Tokyo. In fact, as a result of a crackdown by the Metropolitan Police in October, 42 youths aged 13 to 18 were included in the guidance (hod?) program aimed at preventing delinquency. Among the 42, five were middle school students and 29 were high school students. Regarding their residence, 17 lived in Tokyo and 25 in other prefectures.
There are even adults who exploit the fact that they are minors to commit crimes, causing the Toyoko Kids problem to gradually spread. On the 4th, a 26-year-old man nicknamed 'King of Toyoko,' who films Toyoko Kids live and uploads the footage to social networking services (SNS), was arrested for sexual crimes including non-consensual intercourse against junior high school girls at a similar location near Toho Cinema in Osaka.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has formed a council of experts to devise countermeasures against Toyoko Kids, but there are criticisms that it is insufficient. In July, the council proposed to Governor Yuriko Koike the establishment of counseling centers that respond from the youth perspective.
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