21-Year-Old Woman Arrested for Drugging and Robbing Host—Chilling Mugshot Emerges
Why do hosts get into trouble with each other?
The woman sitting in the back seat of the police vehicle looked utterly exhausted. When our photographer pointed the camera at her, her dark eyes peered out from between her long hair in a shocking sight.
By March 5, the Shinjuku Police Department had arrested Miyu Kimura (21) from Nakano Ward, Tokyo, and Yusei Kakubari (26) from Suginami Ward on suspicion of robbery involving stupefaction. The scene described above was when Kimura was being transported to the Shinjuku Police Station immediately after her arrest.
“The alleged crime occurred between 1:00 AM and 3:30 AM on April 17 last year. Kimura accompanied a man in his 20s, identified as ‘A,’ who worked at a host club, to a hotel in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. Once inside the room, she handed him a plastic bottle of milk tea. It is believed that the drink was laced with sleeping pills.
After consuming the drugged milk tea, A became disoriented. While he was in a dazed state, Kimura allegedly stole a bag containing 197,000 yen in cash and a smartphone (valued at approximately 80,000 yen). During police questioning, Kimura admitted to the crime, stating, ‘There’s no mistake.'” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)
Living together with 4 to 5 people
According to the police, Kimura was the perpetrator, while Kakubari is believed to have given the orders.
“A-san and Kakubari had previously worked at the same host club. Around May 2023, they started living together, but their shared living arrangement ended after about three months due to some kind of dispute. The police suspect that Kakubari harbored resentment towards A-san and instructed Kimura to carry out the crime. However, Kakubari denies the allegations, stating, ‘I don’t remember,'” said a national newspaper social affairs reporter.
Conflicts among hosts are not uncommon. Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa explains:
“Newly recruited hosts often live together in groups of four or five. They are colleagues working at the same establishment, but at the same time, they are also rivals competing for customers. This competitive environment often leads to conflicts.
It’s not uncommon for disputes to arise over missing belongings like clothes or watches left around the shared living space, with accusations flying in all directions. Some may even harbor grudges over losing a high-paying customer to a rival. The close proximity of shared living can escalate these tensions, sometimes leading to severe incidents like this one.”
The police continue their investigation, suspecting that Kakubari had been planning the attack on A-san for some time.
