<figure id="attachment_410036" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2014px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410036"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="331dda6f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/d3771fbf0818b454fee9aa9dfe3b296c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410036" class="wp-caption-text">Suspect Konishi was sent for prosecution on the morning of January 21.</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;Would you like to work at a high-end lounge?&#8221;
&#8220;Start at 5,000 yen per hour!&#8221;
The men were reportedly persistently stalking young women walking in front of JR Ebisu Station (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo), aggressively approaching them with such offers.
On January 21, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police&#8217;s Special Safety Investigation Unit arrested six men, including 23-year-old unemployed Ryo Konishi from Minato Ward, on suspicion of violating the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance on Prevention of Annoyance. The arrests were made after the men repeatedly attempted to solicit women to work at sex industry establishments on the streets near Ebisu Station.
&#8220;The incidents leading to the arrests occurred between August and November of last year. The suspects persistently approached women on the street, trying to get them to work in places like host clubs. Some even stalked women for over 100 meters. Of the six arrested, Konishi and another suspect denied the charges, claiming &#8216;we don&#8217;t remember.&#8217; The other four admitted to the charges and provided the following statement: &#8216;We thought Ebisu was a place where it&#8217;s easier to scout because there are so many beautiful women.'&#8221; (National newspaper reporter)
In the fashionable area of Ebisu, there has been an increasing number of police reports from women claiming to have felt scared after being approached by scouts. In April of last year, a man in his 20s was also arrested on suspicion of violating the same ordinance. The number of sex industry scouts has dramatically increased.
<h2>The customers are all executives</h2>
There are special circumstances behind this situation, according to Tahei Ogawa, a former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist.
&#8220;Scouting for the sex industry used to primarily take place in downtown areas like Shinjuku. However, the police have significantly increased their crackdown on scouting, especially in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, setting up task forces to completely eliminate it. Even for scouts, Shinjuku has become a high-risk area due to excessive competition. Territorial instincts have become stronger, and conflicts between scouts have intensified. Some even faced abductions and assaults, resulting in serious injuries. Because of this, scouts have been moving away from Shinjuku.&#8221;
While the number of scouts in Shinjuku has decreased, why is it increasing in Ebisu? Ogawa continues:
&#8220;Ebisu has an image of sophistication, and many of the women living there reside in upscale apartments. Scouts are flocking to Ebisu because they know how to exploit the ambition of these high-society women. They appeal to their egos by saying things like, &#8216;You’re so attractive, you could earn 10 million yen a year,&#8217; or &#8216;With you, 500,000 yen a month is guaranteed.&#8217; They also assure them by saying, &#8216;It’s fine to work only on weekends when you’re not busy,&#8217; and, &#8216;The clients are all top executives from major companies.'&#8221;
However, once someone gets involved with scouts out of curiosity, it’s hard to back out. Ogawa explains:
&#8220;When they follow the scout to the office, they’re asked for identification and even have their photo taken. If they start working, the demands become strict. They may be told, &#8216;You need to accompany clients at least twice a week,&#8217; and if they can’t meet these expectations, they are fined more than their daily earnings. This can lead to a vicious cycle of debt, from which it’s hard to escape. If you’re persistently approached by scouts, it’s important to firmly refuse and report them to the police.&#8221;
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police are urging women to be cautious of scouting activities around Ebisu Station.
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Persistent solicitation...photo of a sex scout exhausted immediately after his arrest"></div>
<figure id="attachment_410039" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4378px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410039"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e14ce433"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/2d9e8c8987222a6a48a6b1cf2d67256d-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410039" class="wp-caption-text">Konishi, huddled in the back seat of the convoy, looks exhausted after being sent to the police immediately after his arrest.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_410041" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2319px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410041"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a2ff4dd8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/19671879c88153c71e76fd84026fa571.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410041" class="wp-caption-text">Six men persistently followed women walking in the Ebisu Station area.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_410042" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2014px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410042"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1b147edf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/1ce2a0fe8ac0f77f93071b828186f481.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410042" class="wp-caption-text">He denies the charges when questioned by the police.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_410043" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5568px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410043"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f1e833e7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/f662ae1a91f40fe2783294c3c5c594d5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410043" class="wp-caption-text">Dramatic increase in the number of sex scouts in Ebisu</figcaption></figure>
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 Shinji Hasuo

 Six scouts were arrested at JR Ebisu station for pestering women to enter a sex store, and one woman was followed for over 100 meters. Why is there a dramatic increase in scouts in the fashionable town of Ebisu? An expert explains the special circumstances.

Sex Industry Scout’s 100-Meter Stalking Surges in Ebisu Promising 500K a Month

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