Men’s Esthetic Salon Honey Trap Extortion Scheme Exposed in Court

The defendant is a monk

The first trial of Kayatsu Yagi (27, at the time of arrest), who has been charged with extortion and other crimes for blackmailing male customers of a men’s esthetic salon using the honey trap method, was held at the Tokyo District Court on February 14.

According to the indictment, Yagi had customers sign a pledge stating, “A fine will be imposed if you engage in actions that make the girl uncomfortable.” She then had a female therapist offer sexual services and extorted 2 million yen in cash using the honey trap scheme.

“If the customer agreed to sexual activity, the therapist would contact Yagi, who was waiting nearby. Several accomplices would then storm into the scene. They would threaten the customer, saying things like, ‘This is not a sex business. If you want that kind of service, go to a soapland,’ or ‘You signed the pledge, didn’t you?’ They then extorted cash under the pretense of a penalty fee. In November of last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested Yagi and eight others, both men and women, on suspicion of extortion and confinement. They had lured customers at four esthetic salons and repeated the crime using the same method. By October of last year, more than 170 reports of similar incidents had been received in Tokyo, prompting the police to heighten their vigilance,” said an investigator.

Wearing a light blue sweatshirt and sporting a shaved head, Yagi entered the courtroom with a calm demeanor, despite his short stature, as if flaunting his well-developed pectoral muscles. He scanned the audience seats with a sharp, intimidating gaze, showing no sign of remorse. When asked about his occupation at the witness stand, he replied, “Monk,” and admitted, “That is correct,” to the charges.

“Men’s esthetic salons are often mistaken for sex businesses, but sexual services are prohibited. However, due to fierce competition, some salons have therapists provide such services. Customers, too, have expectations regarding these gray areas, leading to a surge in troubles related to men’s esthetic salons in recent years,” said a well-informed source.

In court, the organized nature of the crime, which exploited male customers’ desires, was revealed.