Increase in Women Engaged in Prostitution Near Okubo Park
For Entertainment Expenses... Sometimes Encouraged by Host Clubs
Prostitution has become rampant in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, Japan, causing social problems and raising urgent calls for resolution from the local community.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 30th, citing a weekly magazine article from the 17th, about a 19-year-old woman who provides sexual services to up to 10 men a day.
The woman, named Rua, revealed that half of her clients are foreigners, and the money she earns is spent on entertainment expenses at nearby host clubs. Like dozens of other young women, she waits for clients every evening at Okubo Park in the Kabukicho district of Tokyo.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested 140 women standing near Okubo Park for street prostitution from January 1 to December 19 last year. This figure is approximately 2.7 times higher than in 2022.
Among them, women in their 20s numbered 106, the largest group, and there were even 17-year-olds. About 40% of the 140 arrested women, like Rua, said they entered prostitution to cover entertainment expenses, explaining, "They are trying to repay debts incurred at host clubs."
The Sankei Shimbun reported on the 19th that "although the reality of foreign men conducting 'sex tours' in Kabukicho has been reported in some areas, it is now spreading overseas as well."
Police authorities are on alert for any acts by host clubs encouraging prostitution among female customers. In fact, there have been cases where male hosts who encouraged prostitution to clients repaying debts were arrested.
In response, Kazunori Yamai, a politician from Japan's Constitutional Democratic Party, emphasized in an interview with Sankei that the National Police Agency and government ministries plan to cooperate and propose related amendments to crack down on malicious host clubs that induce young women to work in the sex industry. He said he plans to address this issue when parliamentary discussions resume in January.
Yamai expressed concern, saying, "This is a seriously shameful situation internationally. If such rumors spread worldwide, misunderstandings like 'Japanese women can be bought with money' may arise, increasing the risk of more women becoming victims of sexual violence."
He added, "This should not be seen solely as the fault of women working in Kabukicho, and we must realize how Japanese society is perceived overseas when it turns a blind eye to such problems."
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