Overview of the Arrests
On January 17, 2020, the Public Safety Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, together with Shinjuku Police Station, arrested three people, including Tatsuya Yamada (35), a leader of an illegal scouting group operating out of the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku Ward, on suspicion of violating the Employment Security Act (operating a fee-charging employment placement business without a license).
According to investigators, Yamada and the others organized the group around the spring of 2019, approaching young women on the streets of Kabukicho, Shibuya Center-gai, and other areas to recruit them. While claiming to offer "high-paying part-time work" or "modeling agency" opportunities, they were in fact steering the women to sex businesses in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture.
The Scope of the Harm
At least 20 women are confirmed to have been affected. The group collected roughly 20 to 25 percent of each woman's monthly earnings as a "scout-back" referral fee, and some members were reportedly earning more than 500,000 yen per month.
Some of the recruited women said things like "I was told it was a restaurant job" or "I couldn't say no at first," painting a picture of women being drawn into the sex industry without clear explanation.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The Metropolitan Police began undercover work around last autumn. By examining social media posts and interviewing the businesses involved, they pieced together the full scope of the group. The arrests are described as the "first phase" of a series of investigations, and authorities are continuing their inquiry with an eye toward building cases against additional individuals.
Background on the Illegal Scouting Problem
According to National Police Agency statistics, the number of crackdowns for Employment Security Act violations has been trending upward in recent years. In the greater Tokyo area in particular, there has been a rise in cases where scouting operators form "exclusive contracts" with multiple sex businesses and systematically broker women, making the spread of harm across wider areas a growing concern.
The fact that "scouting solicitation" in entertainment districts is hard to distinguish at a glance from ordinary scouting, and that victims often fail to recognize what is happening, is one factor that makes these cases difficult to prosecute.
What Comes Next
The Metropolitan Police plan to confirm whether Yamada and the others admit to the allegations while also investigating the responsibility of the sex businesses the group contracted with. Following the crackdown, an industry association issued a comment stating it would "remind member establishments not to use unlicensed intermediaries."
This article was compiled based on publicly available information and interviews with investigators.