Shocking Scene in Kabukicho Men Surrounding 13-Year-Old Street Girls

Even 13-year-old girls waiting for customers. The unbelievable reality of Kabukicho.

On October 18, a 53-year-old company employee from Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Division for allegedly accosting a 16-year-old Tokyo high school student waiting for customers in the Okubo Park area of Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, and committing lewd acts with her. 

The “stand-up girls” in the Okubo Park area, which has become a social problem in recent years, seem to be getting younger, with some claiming to be 13 years old. Why is this situation left unattended? When this reporter went to the area to investigate the situation, she discovered a shocking fact.

Many of the stand-up girls waiting for customers in the area around Okubo Park look very young. Looking at their appearance alone, it is easy to understand why they might be called underage. Considering that a few years ago many of them were in their 20s and 30s, they have become much younger.

Even though the police and government have stepped up patrols, there is no end to the prostitution activities in the Okubo Park area. In addition, the range of activities of these women has expanded, and they are now waiting for customers outside of the park area.

When asked their age, most of the women who appear to be waiting for customers say they are 19 or 18 years old. When I ask younger women who are clearly not adults, many of them answer “I am 18 or 19 years old.”

When we asked Masanori Sendou, a long-time Kabukicho writer who has been observing the area for years, about the current situation of standing girls around Kabukicho, he said, “There were always minors, but now the age has become even younger, and there are now 13-year-old standing girls,” and continued with the following.

Here is the translation:

“High school students who have run away from home have started waiting for customers, so the age of the standing girls is gradually getting younger. Among them, a self-proclaimed 13-year-old standing girl has become a topic of discussion. The authenticity is unclear, but she uploaded her health insurance card and public documents as evidence on her social media. Indeed, she looks very young and it’s hard to believe she is an adult. It seems she frequented standing girl spots in Tokyo and Osaka, and I’ve heard that in Kabukicho, she was ‘bought’ by many men.

Her family is from Nagoya, and she reportedly roams around the Kabukicho area because ‘her mother is dead, and her father’s domestic violence is severe, so she doesn’t want to stay at home.’ It seems she has been taken into custody multiple times. She appears to have a strong need for approval, and posted things like, ‘It’s annoying when I get too many DMs (on X), and when I don’t get any, I get depressed.’ She interacted with her clients on social media, seeking mental peace by getting a lot of impressions.

This kind of life couldn’t continue, and recently, it seems the authorities intervened, and I heard she is now in a juvenile detention center in Nagoya. Since she is going to a juvenile detention center, she is definitely a minor. Even after going there, she seems to be asking for care packages from the older men who had bought her in the past via social media.” (Sendo)

 

The self-proclaimed “13-year-old stand-up girl” reportedly wore clothes with a specific character printed on them every time she stood in Okubo Park, making it easy to recognize her at a glance.

A dangerous community where men who engage in prostitution gather.

The increasing trend of younger individuals involved in this situation has raised the risks for those who engage in these activities. Paying for sex with a stand-up girl is prohibited under the Prostitution Prevention Law, and if the person is a minor under 18, those involved could be charged under the “Act on Regulation and Punishment of Acts Relating to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and Protection of Children” (commonly known as the “Child Pornography Prohibition Law”) and face severe criminal penalties.

Despite the existence of adult establishments in Kabukicho, men still take risks to engage with stand-up girls. According to the previously mentioned Sendo, an unexpected fact has come to light.

“In recent years, Okubo Park has been buzzing with men seeking prostitution and women trying to earn pocket money. However, due to police intervention, the number of ‘amateurs’ like ordinary university students has decreased, and only ‘professionals’ waiting for customers remain.

The men involved are often hobbyists who engage in prostitution, forming their own community. The women waiting for clients also stay close to each other, waiting side by side. In this environment, both the buyers and the sellers are professional, creating a social space in Okubo Park where everyone is somewhat familiar with each other.

Men who want to purchase sex tend to target ‘amateurs,’ so they may specifically go after girls who don’t seem like they are working. For the same reason, when a new stand-up girl appears, men are quick to approach her.”

Japan today is not a country where young women, even minors, should have to sell their bodies to survive. One can only hope that such situations will come to an end as soon as possible.