Expo Purge? Journalist Discusses Bizarre Osaka-Kyobashi Pin-Salo Raids

Three pairs of naked men and women.

On October 8, the Osaka Prefectural Police conducted a large-scale raid on three adult entertainment establishments in Kyobashi and Sakai-higashi for engaging in indecent acts. Thirteen individuals, including the de facto manager and employees of the Kyobashi-based pin-salon “Gakko-zaka 3-nen K-gumi,” were arrested, along with three male customers who were present at the scene, bringing the total number of arrests to 18.

“Between February and October of this year, at both ‘Gakko-zaka 3-nen K-gumi’ and ‘Gakko-zaka Sakai-higashi’ (Sakai City), the two establishments are suspected of engaging in public indecency by having female employees perform sexual services in a manner visible to other customers and an unspecified number of people. When investigators raided the Kyobashi location, they found three male customers and three pin-salo hostesses actively engaged in a ‘session,’ all completely naked. The seating area was only divided by partitions about one meter high, and the naked bodies of the men and women were fully visible. Additionally, two other employees were arrested for conspiring to operate ‘Kyobashi Cosplay Idol Academy’ (in the same district) between June and October in violation of the Adult Entertainment Law, as the establishment was located in a prohibited area. The raid appears to have been triggered by a tip-off about prostitution occurring inside the store.” (Social Affairs reporter)

The Kyobashi Sanpiazza Building, which housed Gakko-zaka 3-nen K-gumi and Kyobashi Cosplay Idol Academy, and the Sakai-higashi Joint 2 Building, which housed Gakko-zaka Sakai-higashi, are both well-known adult entertainment buildings in Osaka. It is highly unusual for pin-salo establishments within these two buildings to be raided, especially with male customers being arrested as well. At least, this is unprecedented in my memory.

 

The case is eerily similar to one before the Tokyo Olympics.

The case closely resembles one from Tokyo before the 2021 Olympics. On May 22, 2021, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police raided the pin-salon “Magic Banana” in Ueno for similar reasons, applying the charge of public indecency. The raid resulted in the arrest of the establishment’s manager, female employees, and one male customer, totaling eight arrests. This was the first time the Tokyo Metropolitan Police had raided a pin-salon on charges of public indecency.

Just before the Tokyo Olympics, on July 6 of the same year, the “Akebono” pin-salon in Sugamo was also raided, with the female manager and others arrested under the same charges. Given that “Akebono” was a popular and well-established shop with many regular customers, the raid shocked industry insiders. When I first heard about the raid, I thought, “Why ‘Akebono’, of all places, when there’s nothing wrong?” While it’s true that female employees sometimes perform nude in such establishments, this wasn’t exclusive to “Akebono”. This series of raids was seen by some as a punishment to warn performance by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police as the Olympics approached.

Similarly, the recent raid by the Osaka Prefectural Police appears to be part of a clean-up operation ahead of the Osaka-Kansai Expo. In other words, it seems to be sending a message that adult entertainment businesses should remain as inconspicuous as possible and conduct their business quietly. During the Expo period and the months leading up to it, causing a disturbance or creating problems would be considered a grave violation, even more so than usual.

 

The structure of the shop, where everything is fully visible, is regulated by law.

Pin-saloons are not legally categorized as sex businesses but operate as restaurants under the law. Due to the regulations in the Entertainment Establishment Control Law (Fūei-hō), these establishments are prohibited from having private rooms. With low partitions between booths, the interior is typically designed to be visible from the surrounding area. In this recent raid, it was reported that the partitions between booths were about 1 meter high, and there is suspicion that lewd acts were performed in view of other customers. However, the Fūei-hō has specific rules regarding the facilities, and pin-saloons are required to have a structure that allows good visibility. This design is standard across pin-saloons in Japan and has been in place for a long time, meaning it’s not unique to the establishment that was raided.

The police are fully aware that pin-salons provide sexual services. Although they could have always been raided for public indecency, they have previously been tolerated as a gray area. Similar to soaplands and chon-no-ma (illegal prostitution houses), there are historical reasons for this tolerance, and it’s likely that police have been overlooking them. The predecessor of the pin-saloon, the “Arusaro” (part-time salon), first emerged around 1950 in Osaka’s Minami area, and the current format, selling pink services, is said to have started around 1960. For more than half a century, these businesses have operated in an ambiguous legal space. Raiding them now, suddenly declaring them illegal, is likely influenced by a crackdown related to preparations for the World Expo.

Around the same time as the Kyobashi and Sakai-higashi pin-saloons were raided, a girls’ bar in Jūsan and street prostitution in Umeda were also targeted. When major international events such as summits or the Olympics take place, there tends to be a stronger crackdown on adult entertainment businesses due to a desire to sweep the unpleasant things under the rug and maintain a facade as a developed nation. This trend of heightened enforcement around significant events is not new, and it seems that this recent raid is simply history repeating itself.