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Japanese police reported that they had detained seven individuals who were allegedly involved in an illicit sex business that catered to visitors in the crowded red-light area of Tokyo.
Due in part to the cheap yen, Japan saw a record 36.8 million foreign tourists last year; the government hopes to nearly increase this number to 60 million each year by 2030.
The surge of tourists, however, may also be helping the sex industry, according to some activists.
In the central Kabukicho red-light area, seven persons, including a Brazilian national, were arrested for operating prostitution companies masquerading as massage parlours for men, a Tokyo police spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday.
The prostitution network that operated from October and November of last year is thought to have been led by Kazuki Sudo, a 54-year-old Japanese man who was one of those arrested, the spokesman said.
They reportedly made an English-language website as 60 to 70 per cent of their customers were foreigners, including those from North America and Asia, according to Japan’s Mainichi Daily.
According to the newspaper, foreign touts were employed by the companies, and payments in various currencies were accepted.
The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper hinted that a Malaysian man, 25, who hired the group’s services, told authorities he wanted to “make memories” before going back home.
