The Manipulative Tactics of “Genuine Love Sales” That Led a Customer in His 30s to Kill a Soapland Worker
A customer who was banned returned in disguise
On March 7, the government decided to revise the laws regulating host clubs to address the growing problem of women being charged exorbitant fees and forced into debt. The revised bill includes a ban on romantic sales tactics that exploit customers’ feelings, such as coercing women into spending large amounts on drinks, and it also strengthens penalties.
Although this amendment to the law was spurred by the bad host problem, it does not only apply to female customers at host clubs. In fact, it targets all entertainment and dining businesses, including cabarets, snack bars, and girls’ bars, making it illegal for women to use romantic sales tactics to manipulate male customers.
Romantic sales by women toward men have been a common practice in the nightlife industry, where the goal is to increase customer visits and spending by making men develop romantic feelings. However, there are often cases where male customers become too emotionally involved, leading to trouble. This article will revisit incidents from recent years related to romantic sales, detailing the specific tactics used and the tragedies that occurred when customers became obsessed.
The first case discussed involves a tragic incident at a sex shop.
In May 2023, a woman working at a high-end soapland in Tokyo’s Yoshiwara district was stabbed to death by a male customer with a survival knife in the bathroom of a private room during a session. The man, a 30-year-old contract employee at a security company, was arrested for murder. He confessed to the police that he developed murderous intent because the woman was living a glamorous life that contradicted his own.
The victim was a popular woman who was difficult to book. After the man had requested her several times, he was banned from the shop due to some issue. However, he changed his phone number, booked an appointment under a false name, disguised himself, and returned to commit the crime.
The “Sexual Love Manual” of one of Yoshiwara’s best restaurants
The store where the incident took place is a long-established business that has been operating since 1970. It is well-known in the industry as one of Yoshiwara’s top establishments, and it can be considered one of the finest in the country. The high-end establishment charges a total of 67,500 yen for a 110-minute session and attracts high-level women.
One of the key elements that have cemented the store’s status as a popular spot is its distinctive genuine romantic sales tactics, which differentiate it from other businesses. The store has a detailed manual outlining how to interact with male customers. For instance, it instructs staff to create an atmosphere of impatience when first meeting the customer in the elevator, hugging the customer, speaking softly in their ear, touching their body through their clothes, and repeatedly kissing them—essentially, creating the illusion that the customer is genuinely loved, which the staff is trained to encourage.
Many of the male customers who visit the store are seeking this genuine romantic sales style. Some customers mistakenly believe that the female staff members are their real lovers and persist in trying to seduce them, even contacting them repeatedly.
In fact, a similar incident occurred in 2003, when a male customer killed a female staff member. The customer, a man in his 50s who was unfamiliar with the world of adult entertainment, became infatuated with the woman. After being reprimanded by his superior at a different soapland, he quit his job and decided to end his life with the woman. He strangled her with a necktie.
These tragedies occurred because of the store’s excellence in customer service. The refined romantic sales tactics employed by the women led male customers to become excessively obsessed, ultimately resulting in tragic outcomes.
So why does the store train its female staff in such intense romantic sales? The reason is that a certain number of customers visit the store specifically to enjoy a pseudo-romantic experience. As long as customers recognize that it is a pseudo-romance and are willing to spend money on it, there is no inherent problem.
For the female staff, the motivation is not just that it makes it easier to retain repeat customers and increases their earnings. There is also the possibility that they genuinely wish to build a good relationship where both sides can enjoy their time together.
However, this only works if the customers are relatively mature adult men. If not, misunderstandings may arise, leading to extreme behavior. It goes without saying that appropriate romantic sales are essential, and going overboard can lead to disastrous consequences.
Repeated requests for a total of 20 million yen
One of the goals for the genuine romantic customers is undoubtedly marriage. Next, I’ll introduce a fraud case that cleverly used the idea of marriage to deceive a man.
In March 2022, a 28-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly deceiving a man in his 50s from Ibaraki Prefecture by promising to “stay with him forever” and hinting at marriage, leading him to hand over 900,000 yen. The woman had lied, claiming that she needed money to pay for her mother’s hospice care.
The man had met the woman at a sex service establishment three years prior. They communicated through emails, and he believed they were in a relationship. The woman continued to lie about various situations, claiming that her mother was hospitalized, that she needed money for cancer treatment, and that she lacked funds to repay student loans. She had reportedly scammed him out of about 20 million yen in total.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, there were other reports of similar incidents involving the same woman, with men ranging from their 20s to 60s falling victim to her. The woman denied the allegations, claiming that she had borrowed money but had not been trying to deceive anyone.
For those who visit bars or sex service establishments, it’s important to be cautious if a woman starts demanding large sums of money under the guise of marriage. On the surface, it may seem strange, and you might realize something is off.
However, even if something seems wrong, people may still fall for it. This is because humans are emotional beings, and sometimes emotions can overpower reason. Even if one understands that this is part of a sales tactic, the emotional pull can lead them to ignore that understanding.
What complicates matters further is that there are many cases where men end up marrying hostesses or sex workers and live happily. What might seem like a misunderstanding could, in some cases, turn out to be a genuine romantic relationship. In this context, it’s difficult to categorize relationships as mere misunderstandings because, until the outcome is clear, it’s impossible to know for sure. The relationship could turn out to be with a fated partner to spend life with.
Bars and sex service establishments are, after all, legitimate meeting places. In the 26 years that I’ve been covering entertainment districts across the country, I’ve seen many men who started by dating or marrying women from these establishments. Even when the relationship starts as a misunderstanding or a pseudo-romance, it can later evolve into a genuine romantic relationship. This is why some men convince themselves that not every romantic gesture from these women is a mere sales tactic for money. Even if the outside world warns them, they may no longer listen to reason.
In the follow-up, titled “One-sided ‘love’ turning into intense hatred, why romantic sales won’t disappear,” I will cover an incident where a customer, after meeting a woman from a girls’ bar through live streaming, stabbed her.
Interview, text, and photos (1st and 2nd)： Akira Ikoma
