Job Site Boasts 200 Million Yen Sales with Play with a Condom Tagline: Intermediary Exposes Overseas Prostitution Reality

“Carry a camera and pretend to be a tourist. Make sure to research tourist spots in advance.”

The broker of the job site instructed the women who applied for jobs in this way.

 On April 4th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Safety Division announced the arrest of four men, including the operator of a dating club, Mr. Yoshio Usui (53), on suspicion of violating the Employment Security Act (such as introducing harmful work). Mr. Usui and the others are accused of operating the job recruitment site “Overseas Work Charm,” through which they introduced Japanese women to prostitution work in the United States. It is reported that they had generated sales of approximately 200 million yen.

 

“The arrested suspects, including Mr. Usui, are suspected of brokering two women in their twenties and thirties to a prostitution organization in the United States between March and April of last year. Many cases of entry refusal for prostitution purposes have been occurring in the United States. Because the screening process is becoming stricter, the suspects reportedly instructed the applicants to pretend to be tourists.

 

The job recruitment site ‘Overseas Work Charm’ has been operating since around 2021, and it is said that they employed 200 to 300 women not only in the United States but also in countries like Australia and Canada, including recruitment through scouting. The women were staying in local brothels and were earning between 900,000 yen and 2.5 million yen per month. Approximately 10% of the earnings were reportedly passed on to the brokers, including Mr. Usui.” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)

 

The case came to light after information was provided by US authorities to the Japanese police stating that “there is a frequent occurrence of Japanese women intending to engage in prostitution being denied entry into the United States.” Three out of the four arrested individuals have reportedly admitted to the charges, while one has partially denied them.

 

Meals only twice a day, once in the morning and once at night

 

What exactly is overseas prostitution like? According to an article published by “FRIDAY Digital” on December 5, 2021, they interviewed a woman, Ms. A, who had been involved in it, revealing the stark reality. Here’s what Ms. A disclosed about the nature of prostitution (with some modifications),

“Overseas prostitution operates in a pyramid-like structure, involving not only brokers but also several scouts. I heard that the scouts, including their own girlfriends, sent multiple women overseas for prostitution. The gender-neutral billing clerks recruit online, and above them, a Chinese boss reigns supreme.”

Women engaging in prostitution abroad were almost in a state of confinement.

“They were given only two meals a day, consisting of fruits and flakes for breakfast and burgers for dinner. There were no snacks. The bathroom was luxurious, resembling a hotel. They had to wake up around 11 AM for attendance check, and then work from 12 PM to midnight for 12 hours. They went to bed around 2 AM, with only a bed and a small desk in the room, no TV.”

Payment often didn’t match the initial promises.

“The intercourse was always done with condoms. Besides the payment for the act, they were pressured by the Chinese boss to accept tips from clients, although most clients didn’t give tips, probably due to the era of cashless transactions. The maximum they earned was $200 (approximately 23,000 yen). They were promised they could earn tips when recruited, but it turned out to be a scam.”

Some were threatened with guns, and some were forced into drug use. The police have been urging people not to fall for such solicitations.