Japanese police arrest host club and men’s esthetic salon operators in illegal sex‑business raids

Police in Kagoshima City arrested a 29‑year‑old host‑club owner, identified as 小鳥遊翼 (also known as 前田竜馬), for violating Japan’s revised sex‑industry law. He is accused of demanding a female customer work in a sex‑shop to settle unpaid fees, sending messages via social media, marking the first such enforcement in Kagoshima since the law’s amendment last June. Authorities are also probing possible links to organized crime.

In Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, police detained seven individuals, including 43‑year‑old owner 倉持宗士 of the men’s‑esthetic salon “Kami‑gami no Esthe,” for providing sexual services in a zone where such businesses are prohibited. The investigation follows a similar crackdown on a franchise in Kanagawa and suggests around 25 related venues exist in Chiba. Both operations are being investigated under the same legal framework targeting illegal sex‑industry activities.