Inside the Largest Illegal Scout Group of A Member’s Confession | FRIDAY DIGITAL

Inside the Largest Illegal Scout Group of A Member’s Confession

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A man who goes by the name “Saeki” responded to the interview. He is an active member who has been part of the group for several years and claims to be familiar with internal information. *For the protection of the witness, some parts of the photo have been altered.

“I joined without thinking deeply and ended up unable to leave.”

“The money is such that if you work hard, you can earn several times, even tens of times, more than a regular salaryman. But because of that, I end up spending most of it on going to fancy restaurants, buying expensive things, traveling, and gambling. So, I don’t have much savings”

This is what a current member of the domestic strongest (and most dangerous) scout organization, “Natural,” says.

In the room of a city hotel, where the meeting was set, the person sitting on the sofa looks like an ordinary 20-something young man you might find in daytime Shibuya or Roppongi. There is no apparent, unmistakable aura of someone who works night jobs, and his speech is polite, and his demeanor is soft. But when you look closely, his casual clothes are from high-end brands, and he’s subtly wearing expensive-looking jewelry. What stood out the most, though, was how suspiciously he was constantly on guard. He introduced himself as “Saeki” after clarifying it was a fake name.

“Honestly, the higher-ups are very strict. If they find out I’m meeting with someone from the outside like this, it’s bad news.”

Saying this, Saeki made a gesture of hitting his head with a clenched fist. Despite being in a room isolated from the outside, he began speaking about the organization in a barely audible whisper.

In the March 21st issue of “FRIDAY,” the magazine revealed the internal structure of the “Natural” organization, which is organized like a large corporation, and the “dark apps” they use. While the outline of the giant organization, which made 5 billion yen in sales just last year, began to emerge, many mysteries remained, such as the true nature of the top brass and the hierarchical structure that controls 2,000 members.

Journalists had been trying to approach active members who knew the inner workings of the organization, but the strict information control and the recent police crackdown on scout groups made everyone extremely cautious, leading to difficult progress. In this situation, a breakthrough came with some information, and the journalist was finally able to meet with Saeki, an active member who had been part of the organization for several years. (The following quotes are all from Saeki unless noted otherwise.)

“There are quite a few current university students. And then there’s the pattern where people join the organization during their student years and continue working after graduation. Recently, scouting doesn’t just happen on the streets; many women are gathered through SNS or introductions. The typical pushy type is actually becoming less common. There are people who look like shiny businessmen. They listen to women’s concerns and suggest the most fitting types of sex industry establishments, helping them get set up at those places. It’s similar to sales or consulting work in content.”

Previous research has shown that many members of the organization are from prestigious universities. Among them, names from the Tokyo Six Universities, MARCH, and the Kansai Kanto Doryoku class of universities appear. In some cases, many members of a certain university’s club have joined. When recruiting, they use names like “Clear” and hide the fact that they belong to Natural.

“I was the same at first, but most people who join don’t think too deeply about it, thinking it’s just a good part-time job. Being a student with money makes you popular, and there’s a sense of superiority from making money. But after a while in the organization, it becomes impossible to leave.”

The April 4th issue of “FRIDAY April 18th issue” and the paid version “FRIDAY GOLD” will report in detail on the terrifying punishments that Natural imposes on its members, as well as the true identity of the president.

For more details and multiple photos, click here↓.

From the April 18, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”

  • Interview and text Nihonbashi Group

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