Will the new law force 'street scouts' for sex businesses off the sidewalks for good?
For the past several decades, it was common to see "scouts" -- nattily dressed and well groomed young hunks -- accosting young women on sidewalks near major rail stations in Tokyo. Their standard pickup line was typically something like, "Hi! Say, would you be interested in making lots of money?"
If the young woman showed interest, she might be introduced to a cabaret club, erotic bathhouse or some other type of "pink" business.
The remuneration for this work could be quite lucrative: scouts earned a finder's fee plus a fixed percentage (known in the trade as "scout back"), said to range from 10% to 15%, but in special cases as high as 20% of the woman's earnings for as long as she remained on the job.
Viewed as a public nuisance, the authorities eventually began cracking down. In January 2024, a scout group that went by the name "Access," was charged with violation of the Employment Security Law. The group, which oversaw the activities of some 1,500 scouts, was said to have raked in some 7 billion yen in revenues over the previous five years. Another outfit named "Natural," believed to be the nation's largest group, allegedly achieved annual sales of 5 billion yen. Its employees were also arrested in a police dragnet.
According to the "special report" in Spa (June 17), street scouts were earning 500,000 yen per month on average, with the "aces" at the top of their profession taking home anywhere between 1 to 2 million yen per month. The bosses who oversaw the scouts' operations also raked in generous rewards.
On May 20 of this year, however, revisions to the Act Regulating Adult Entertainment Business came into effect that effectively banned the "scout back" system. Those found in violation were subject to fines of up to 1 million yen and/or imprisonment of up to six months. At the same time, the fines for operating unlicensed sex shops were also substantially increased, up to a maximum of 10 million yen for individuals and 100 million yen for corporations.
"This came as a huge blow," the pseudonymous "Mr A," a self-described freelance scout, told the magazine. "About half of the soaplands and delivery health operators I've been scouting for have dropped me. Needless to say, my income has also fallen by around half, and I've had to be extra cautious or risk running afoul of the new law.
"About half the scouts I know have given up their jobs," he added.
Fearing they would also be targeted, many of the soaplands in Tokyo's Yoshiwara red-light district dismissed female workers having ties to the scouts, and as a result the bathhouses are presently confronting a worker shortage that's hurting their bottom lines.
"Last March, the job recruiting web site called 'Girls' Heaven' halted its recruitment for soaplands and also ceased postings on another site, called 'Vanilla,'" said Mr "B," who works as manager in a scout office in Shinjuku's Kabukicho.
"Most of the scouts who left the business were facing a severe earnings shortfall, leaving them with only 200,000 yen per month," B continues. "That left them with little choice but to quit and look for other work. The remainder are still working as scouts; after all, there's no chance of sex businesses disappearing. So with fewer competitors out on the streets, I think their work will pick up again."
One scout, infuriated at being dropped by a sex shop, was said to have sought revenge by purposely introducing a woman known to be carrying a sexually transmitted disease to a shop.
B also mentioned two examples of high-profit, low-risk businesses that might circumvent the new law because they've been disregarded by the authorities up to now: so-called men's aesthetic salons and kon-kafe ("concept cafes," such as maid cafés, butler cafes, and prince cafes, designed around a specific theme or worldview).
"No matter how strictly the laws are enforced, there are always loopholes," the aforementioned "A" tells the magazine. "That is to say, it makes sense for the sex shop to appear to have severed ties with scouts. Or, girls might change from a massage parlor to a cabaret club, but continue to be working for the same scout.
"Actually there's a certain soapland in Yoshiwara that hired a former scout to drive the shuttle bus that takes the girls to and from their work. Instead of "scout back" payments, he receives remuneration in the form of a regular salary," A added.
"Before the new revisions to the law went into effect, scouts had been cited by invoking other laws, such as causing damages according to the Employment Security Law," attorney Mikako Watanabe explains. "However these all had to be processed on a case-by-case basis.
"Will the new law actually make enforcement any easier?" Watanabe asks rhetorically. "Unfortunately, all laws seem to have limitations on what they can accomplish."
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Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Will the new law force 'street scouts' for sex businesses off the sidewalks for good?
For the past several decades, it was common to see "scouts" -- nattily dressed and well groomed young hunks -- accosting young women on sidewalks near major rail stations in Tokyo. Their standard pickup line was typically something like, "Hi! Say, would you be interested in making lots of money?" If the young woman showed interest, she might be introduced to a cabaret club, erotic bathhouse or some other type of "pink" business. The remuneration for this work could be quite lucrative: scouts earned a finder's fee plus a fixed percentage (known in the trade as "scout back"), said to range from 10% to 15%, but in special cases as high as 20% of the woman's earnings for as long as she remained on the job. Viewed as a public nuisance, the authorities eventually began cracking down. In January 2024, a scout group that went by the name "Access," was charged with violation of the Employment Security Law. The group, which oversaw the activities of some 1,500 scouts, was said to have raked in some 7 billion yen in revenues over the previous five years. Another outfit named "Natural," believed to be the nation's largest group, allegedly achieved annual sales of 5 billion yen. Its employees were also arrested in a police dragnet. According to the "special report" in Spa (June 17), street scouts were earning 500,000 yen per month on average, with the "aces" at the top of their profession taking home anywhere between 1 to 2 million yen per month. The bosses who oversaw the scouts' operations also raked in generous rewards. On May 20 of this year, however, revisions to the Act Regulating Adult Entertainment Business came into effect that effectively banned the "scout back" system. Those found in violation were subject to fines of up to 1 million yen and/or imprisonment of up to six months. At the same time, the fines for operating unlicensed sex shops were also substantially increased, up to a maximum of 10 million yen for individuals and 100 million yen for corporations. "This came as a huge blow," the pseudonymous "Mr A," a self-described freelance scout, told the magazine. "About half of the soaplands and delivery health operators I've been scouting for have dropped me. Needless to say, my income has also fallen by around half, and I've had to be extra cautious or risk running afoul of the new law. "About half the scouts I know have given up their jobs," he added. Fearing they would also be targeted, many of the soaplands in Tokyo's Yoshiwara red-light district dismissed female workers having ties to the scouts, and as a result the bathhouses are presently confronting a worker shortage that's hurting their bottom lines. "Last March, the job recruiting web site called 'Girls' Heaven' halted its recruitment for soaplands and also ceased postings on another site, called 'Vanilla,'" said Mr "B," who works as manager in a scout office in Shinjuku's Kabukicho. "Most of the scouts who left the business were facing a severe earnings shortfall, leaving them with only 200,000 yen per month," B continues. "That left them with little choice but to quit and look for other work. The remainder are still working as scouts; after all, there's no chance of sex businesses disappearing. So with fewer competitors out on the streets, I think their work will pick up again." One scout, infuriated at being dropped by a sex shop, was said to have sought revenge by purposely introducing a woman known to be carrying a sexually transmitted disease to a shop. B also mentioned two examples of high-profit, low-risk businesses that might circumvent the new law because they've been disregarded by the authorities up to now: so-called men's aesthetic salons and kon-kafe ("concept cafes," such as maid cafés, butler cafes, and prince cafes, designed around a specific theme or worldview). "No matter how strictly the laws are enforced, there are always loopholes," the aforementioned "A" tells the magazine. "That is to say, it makes sense for the sex shop to appear to have severed ties with scouts. Or, girls might change from a massage parlor to a cabaret club, but continue to be working for the same scout. "Actually there's a certain soapland in Yoshiwara that hired a former scout to drive the shuttle bus that takes the girls to and from their work. Instead of "scout back" payments, he receives remuneration in the form of a regular salary," A added. "Before the new revisions to the law went into effect, scouts had been cited by invoking other laws, such as causing damages according to the Employment Security Law," attorney Mikako Watanabe explains. "However these all had to be processed on a case-by-case basis. "Will the new law actually make enforcement any easier?" Watanabe asks rhetorically. "Unfortunately, all laws seem to have limitations on what they can accomplish." © Japan Today
Tokyo Reported
14-06-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Ishikawa prosecutors seek prison term for pair over operation of soapland
ISHIKAWA (TR) – Prosecutors here are seeking prison terms for the operators of a soapland bathhouse in Katayamazu Onsen on the grounds that they were providing a place for prostitution, reports Ishikawa TV (June 6). The former administrator and shop manager of soapland Cutie Doll former manager and the company in Yokokama City, Kanagawa Prefecture that runs the business stand accused of violating the Anti-Prostitution Act. They are alleged to have provided six women with a place to carry out prostitution after receiving introductions by the large-scale scouting group Access. At the trial held at the Kanazawa District Court on June 6, the prosecution pointed out that the former administer worked for over 10 years at the business, earning more than 500,000 yen a month. Meanwhile, the shop manager worked there for over three years, earning a monthly salary of 300,000 yen. Cutie Doll is located in Katayamazu Onsen 1 million yen a day The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of 1 year and 10 months and a fine of 200,000 yen for the former administrator. Meanwhile, they are seeking an 18-month term and a fine of 150,000 yen for the former shop manager. In addition, they are requesting a fine of 300,000 yen be levied against the Yokohama company that runs the soapland. Meanwhile, the defense argued that that sales at the soapland amounted to around 1 million yen a day, which made the salaries of the former administrator and shop manager very small by comparison. The defense also pointed out that the two did not directly profit from prostitution. It is seeking a suspended sentence. The lawyer for the soapland company also sought a lenient sentence, stating that the company is currently in the process of closing down. The verdict will be handed down on June 25.
Japan Times
10-04-2025
- Japan Times
How police are cracking down on 'scout' sex broker groups
Old-school yakuza may be on the decline, but a recent trial shows how similar today's 'scouts' — who recruit women into Japan's sex industry — can be to their predecessors: organized, violent and ruthless even toward their own. Japan's scout networks are part of a broader category of underground groups classified by police as tokuryū — fluid, anonymous criminal organizations. While they may appear disorganized from the outside, court documents and investigations reveal a rigid, brutal hierarchy beneath the surface, marked by beatings, punishments and internal purges. Now, major scout groups like Natural and Access are under scrutiny, as authorities uncover a far more systematized and sinister network than previously imagined. The scouting networks are extensive, reaching beyond Japan to establishments overseas. Women are sent abroad for prostitution to places such as Macao, Australia and other countries, according to Ayaka Shiomura, an Upper House member for the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. 'This has been going on for about ten years," said Shiomura, who has long advocated for tightened regulations on the host club industry. "One of the people involved in the case I'm currently working on has been in this situation since around that time. But the number of cases surged all at once around the time of the COVID pandemic." Chat messages on Signal obtained by The Japan Times showed individuals linked to scout groups offering women various sex-related jobs ranging from drinking with men, including foreign nationals, to escort jobs overseas. A further glimpse into the scouting world came during the trial of Hiroyuki Okuda, a former member of Natural, who referred to the scout group as a 'corporation' with a clear division of labor divided into departments with their own tasks. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five, for forcibly assaulting another member in February 2024. Natural is one of the biggest scout groups in Japan, with over 1,500 members spanning nationwide. It first began its operations in Tokyo's Kabukicho district in 2009. The ruling, handed down mid-March by the Tokyo District Court, described how the victim was physically assaulted with a rod-like object in an apartment in Kabukicho. The assault escalated to a sexual nature as the victim was sodomized with a sex toy resembling male genitalia; the incident was filmed and the victim was forced to say a relative's name during the act. The assault wasn't without a motive. According to the ruling, the victim had embezzled money from the group to fund a gambling addiction. Within the organization, breaking internal rules was grounds for punishment ranging from salary cuts and fines to physical and even sexual assaults, all enforced as part of the group's code of discipline. A former member of Natural, who was part of the group for a year from the age of 17, said that there was a strict hierarchy within the group. The witness, whose identity was protected by the court, corroborated the existence of the group's internal rules. He testified that Natural had its own custom-built app designed to resemble a news platform, including a bulletin board where explicit content — such as nude videos of members who had broken the rules — was uploaded and shared with others in the group. 'I don't want other people to go through the same thing as I did,' he told the gallery as he recounted his experience as a low-ranked member of the group. Upper House lawmaker Ayaka Shiomura in her office on March 26 | Karin Kaneko The recent crackdown on scouts is tied to a wider investigation into host clubs' exploitative practices, in which women are often coerced into racking up massive debts through emotional manipulation. To pay them off, some are pushed into the sex industry. Scouts play a key role in that pipeline, approaching vulnerable women and linking them to jobs in prostitution or related nightlife work and receiving a hefty commission for it. Some scouts also approach men to recruit them for host clubs or into their own groups. Another group, known as Access, has been in the headlines due to recent police crackdowns. It is said to have made a profit of ¥7 billion in total for luring women into prostitution. Unlike Natural, which operates by approaching people on the streets, Access mainly uses social media to recruit women, making it easier for its members to operate anonymously. Founded close to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, it has around 300 members and has dispatched women to 350 sex-related establishments nationwide. As part of the contract for introducing women to such places, members get a 15% cut of their earnings, with the women mailing cash to a 'virtual office' to make it difficult to trace the flow of money. The group operates an auction-like system where it dispatches women to establishments that offer the highest pay after providing them with the profiles of women, including IDs, selfies, ages and bust sizes. The group continues to receive referral fees for as long as the women work at the establishments they were introduced to. If the women refuse to comply, the establishments may threaten to leak their personal information. What sets Natural apart from Access is its mode of operation — particularly its street-level recruitment tactics and alleged connections to organized crime groups. Various members linked to both groups have been arrested for allegedly introducing women to sexual service establishments, including Access' leader and a woman involved at the group's highest level. Authorities are yet to arrest the top leaders of Natural. Beyond cracking down directly, law enforcement is also targeting these crime syndicates through legal reforms — specifically by criminalizing the use of pseudo-romantic manipulation by host clubs, as well as penalizing establishments that employ scouts, which previously was not considered a crime. Under the new bill, violators could face up to six months in prison and fines of up to ¥1 million. The government has approved the bill, and it is currently awaiting debate in parliament. '(The National Police Agency) actually created a fairly comprehensive law — stronger than what we initially requested — so it's not that the law itself is lacking," Shiomura said. "What's important now is to make full use of it: carry out proper crackdowns and make sure arrests are made.' However, Shiomura also recognizes the challenges, such as the way many of the women addicted to host clubs and fall into prostitution are being manipulated and how the harm often can't be addressed unless the victims come forward themselves. 'So yes, there will probably still be people who are forced into prostitution or sex work," she said. "But unlike before, I think we'll now be able to help the women who realize partway through that something's wrong — that they are, in fact, victims. 'Not all harm will disappear, but everyone is saying it will definitely have an impact.' Information from Jiji added
