“I’ll Leave Each of Them ¥100 Million”—Inside the Unusual Philosophy of Japan’s 64-Year-Old Papa Katsu King

Built a ¥6 billion fortune from an 800-fold gain in Apple stock

Mr. Hisashi Takeuchi (64, pseudonym), whose total assets amount to ¥6 billion, is currently involved with 12 girlfriends. Among them are a former adult video actress, a medical student, and an office worker. Some women have monthly arrangements worth ¥500,000, while others continue their relationships with him without accepting a single yen.

“I don’t think I’m popular. It’s all thanks to money. Why do I do papa-katsu? Because it’s cost-effective.”

Mr. Takeuchi says, “Even if I don’t work, about ¥60 million comes in every year, so it would be a waste not to spend it.” One might assume he was born wealthy—a privileged beneficiary of a lucky parent lottery—but he immediately denies it.

“Not at all! My family was poor.”

His expression turns serious.

“My father’s business failed. We didn’t completely fall apart as a family, but the debts kept piling up. I’ve been supporting myself since I was 19.”

Because of financial constraints, attending a national university was his only realistic option, and he could expect little financial support for living expenses.

“I was always good at studying, so getting into a national university wasn’t particularly difficult. In high school, I was consistently in the top 10% academically. But university was different. People of the same caliber gathered from all over Japan. My grades in college were closer to the bottom than the top.”

After graduating from the engineering faculty of a national university, he joined one of Tokyo’s largest IT companies and worked on the design of several computers. His achievements were recognized, and he was selected for a one-year assignment in Silicon Valley. That opportunity became the turning point in his life.

“During that year of training and work, I was amazed by the differences between Japan and overseas. I eventually changed jobs and joined a major American IT company. Around that time, Steve Jobs had stepped down and Apple’s performance had declined. So I kept buying Apple stock consistently. Today it’s around $240 per share, but back then it was about $15. I bought at the bottom, and after multiple stock splits, it ended up increasing about 800-fold. I was simply lucky.”

He also purchased large amounts of shares in companies such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook before their major price surges.

“It really feels like, ‘Thanks for the feast, sweetheart♡,’” he laughs.

“I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about stocks. Sometimes I bought them for simple reasons, like having a friend who worked there. American startups such as Apple didn’t pay overtime or bonuses. Instead, they gave employees company stock and basically said, ‘If you work hard, the stock price will rise.’ That helped a lot.

Some of the friends I worked with back then ended up with assets worth tens of billions of yen and even own private jets. Compared to them, I honestly feel like, ‘Is this all?’”

Reaching an enlightenment through online pick-up culture

“I got married at 33 and lived a serious life without cheating. After I turned 40, work had me traveling back and forth between China and Japan. Back then, simply being Japanese made you incredibly popular. I guess it was because the income gap was twentyfold (laughs), but women would approach me even if I did nothing.”

Amazed that such a world existed, Mr. Takeuchi immersed himself in every form of nightlife and dating he could find, from hostess clubs and adult entertainment services to street pick-up attempts and dating sites.

“Back then, Chinese women expected men to spend money on them. Their attitude was, ‘You want to date me? How much can you give me per month? My ex gave me this much.’ Since my introduction to dating culture started in China, maybe that’s why I never developed any prejudice toward compensated dating.”

Eventually, simply having fun in China was no longer enough, and Mr. Takeuchi began regularly visiting adult entertainment establishments in Japan.

“Compensated dating wasn’t popular yet, so I used delivery-based adult services all the time. The prices were reasonable, and because the rules didn’t allow intercourse, there was a certain thrill in trying to win someone over.”

Although he would ask the women he selected for full sexual services, he says that he would only see a woman once if she demanded extra money for it.

“If a woman is willing to do that for money, then she’s doing it for other people too, and that just didn’t sit right with me. Turning a delivery-service worker into a friends-with-benefits partner is easy. You just tell her you’ll pay outside the establishment what the establishment pays. Five out of ten became friends-with-benefits.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and a state of emergency was declared, making it impossible for him to visit adult entertainment establishments, he began devoting himself to online pick-up activities.

“I created an account on X and started approaching women online. I wanted to find out whether I could sleep with women without spending money. The result was meeting people and sleeping with them wasn’t particularly difficult, but honestly, there were just so many unattractive women.

Only about 10% were cute. The rest were either using misleading photos or were overweight. As I continued with online pick-up, I also began to feel a decline in my own capabilities as a man, and I realized I was wasting my sexual desire.”

Eventually, he arrived at a very simple conclusion:

“I wanted to be with attractive women, even if it meant paying for it.”

That realization led Mr. Takeuchi to begin compensated dating.

“Compensated dating is great because it’s cost-effective and lets you choose women who match your preferences. There’s no need for the kind of games and negotiation you get in hostess clubs. That said, if a woman only wants meals or tea, I block her after two meetings. There are countless beautiful women who want to do compensated dating. I’ve never once felt any regret about moving on.”

The conditions for being a girlfriend and the constant turnover

At present, he has 12 girlfriends, but he says that the number itself doesn’t matter.

“There’s no need to break up with girls I like. And there are plenty of other cute girls out there. So the number just kept increasing (laughs). At first I was registered on sugar-dating apps and matchmaking clubs, but I don’t use them anymore. Now I increase the number through introductions from my girlfriends and by hosting parties and events to meet new ones. The events are about 20% men and 80% women. At last year’s Christmas party I had six girlfriends, and over the following six months that grew to twelve.”

He says there is always turnover among his girlfriends.

“At first it’s all about appearance, so after dating someone for a while, there are times when I think, ‘This isn’t quite right after all.’ What I dislike are girls who can’t keep their promises. If they’re late or cancel at the last minute three times, that’s the end. I just block them without even having a breakup conversation.

Also, girls who are only half-smart (laughs). I’m not good with the type who overestimates their own intelligence and thinks they’re smarter than they really are. I even have a girlfriend who’s in the University of Tokyo medical school, so compared to someone who is genuinely intelligent, those girls end up looking ridiculous. I’d much rather be with someone straightforward and honest.”

The allowances he pays range widely, from ¥30,000 to ¥500,000 per month.

“Basically, it starts at ¥30,000 per meeting. I think that’s around the average rate for sugar dating. Depending on the girl’s negotiation skills, it may start at ¥50,000. Most are paid per meeting, but I also have two girls on monthly arrangements. One gets ¥300,000 a month, and the other ¥500,000. They’re required to meet me at least twice a month, and if they can’t meet or if there’s no intimate relationship, I reduce the payment. I’m pretty strict about that too (laughs).”

In addition to the regular allowance, he also gives bonuses.

“I give special bonuses at Christmas and on birthdays. In the first year, it’s ¥200,000. It increases by ¥100,000 every year. The longer they stay with me, the more benefits they get. If they introduce me to a new girlfriend, I give them a finder’s fee as pocket money.

To keep things from getting boring, I divide my 12 girlfriends into three groups and occasionally go on group dates with three or four of them at a time, and sometimes enjoy group activities together.”

He says there is one office worker among them who doesn’t socialize with any of the others and refuses to accept even a single yen in allowance. He laughs that his sugar-dating friends keep warning him, “Be careful.”

“She says she dislikes the very idea of sugar dating and won’t accept any allowance. My sugar-dating friends all warn me in unison, ‘Nothing is more expensive than something free.’ But I choose to take it positively and believe she genuinely likes me.”

Even as he says this, Mr. Takeuchi calmly analyzes his own situation.

“You know, I don’t have any children. My wife disliked that sort of thing, so we were never able to have kids. I don’t have any nieces or nephews either, and I have more wealth than I could ever use. I’ve been honest with my girlfriends about the size of my assets, and since it feels ridiculous to just keep paying taxes on it, I’ve told them outright, ‘Before I die, I’ll give each of you ¥100 million.’

I’m not exactly some ultra-wealthy sugar daddy, but maybe they stay with me because they’re looking forward to that parting gift.”

More than wanting to be popular, he simply wants to avoid being bored for the rest of his life.

The sugar-dating philosophy ultimately reached by a man with total assets of ¥6 billion may not be about seeking validation or clinging to youth, but rather a life strategy designed to rationally fill the gaps left by loneliness and desire.