A cunning way to attract customers by entering chat on a dating site… “A Prostitution Club with 2.1 Billion Yen in Annual Sales: How to Get Away With It

“I recently broke up with my boyfriend.

“I want to have a relationship right away.”

It was not women who were recruiting customers on dating sites and matching apps. It was male employees called “hitting girls” who were posting the messages.

By September 29, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested the leader of the dispatch-type prostitution club, Shun Kuriki (25), and 13 staff members on suspicion of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law (circulation). The club recruited male customers through its website, and its sales for one year exceeded 2.1 billion yen.

He said, “Kuriki and the other suspects were collecting ‘hitting girls’ by writing on social networking sites that they were looking for ‘dark jobs. If they were hesitant after hearing about the work, they would say, ‘It’s not a crime. If they were hesitant when they heard what the job entailed, they would reassure them by saying, “It’s not a crime, you just have to type a message. It is said that more than 50 “hitters” have gathered. They posted suggestive messages on the site to attract male customers. If a woman solicited customers directly, it would violate the Anti-Prostitution Law, so they probably used “uchiko”.

The suspect, Kuriki, had five offices in Tokyo. He hired women for the service through interviews. He would ask them if they were ready for the real thing. The women who were waiting at Internet cafes would be introduced to male customers who contacted them via “uchiko” messages. Most of them were on the streets of downtown areas such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Machida. The instructions to the women were sent out from the office, but the messages were set to disappear within an hour,” said a reporter from a national newspaper.

Charging 200,000 yen for an STD test

Kuriki allegedly paid 20,000 yen to 25,000 yen per session to the women for sexual services. The women would get about half the money. The “uchiko” got about 3,000 yen. Some of them are said to have used despicable tactics.

He said, “I would make the woman say something suggestive, such as ‘I want to be with you forever. In some cases, they charge the male customers 200,000 to 300,000 yen, saying, ‘I want to have a proper STD test for that. Of course, the women only receive money and do not get tested.

How did Kuriki’s club manage to generate 2.1 billion yen in sales in one year? Yasuhei Ogawa, a former detective with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and a crime journalist, explains.

“The reason is that they took advantage of the psychology of men and women. Young women, especially female students, cannot work part-time at pubs and cafes, which have been closed due to the new coronavirus. They are in need of money. That said, it is risky to work in a store-based sex industry. You will have to keep a record of your attendance, and your picture will probably be taken to show customers around. There is a risk that your parents or school will find out.

If you use a dating site, the risk is much lower. You may feel guilty about writing your own invitations, but if you send them to a “batterer,” there is less psychological burden. Since everything is already set up, the hurdles are relatively low. I’ve heard that some of them were highly educated female students from Tokyo University, Waseda University, and medical school.

It’s also convenient for male customers, Ogawa continued.

“Going to a brothel is a hurdle for male customers because they have to be watched. However, if you meet a woman on a website, the image of ‘sex industry’ fades away, and you get the impression that it’s just free love between a man and a woman. As a male customer, you can easily deal with them.

The prostitution club was taking advantage of the psychology of men and women and recruiting a large number of customers. The leader of the club, Kuriki, has denied the charges, saying, “I don’t want to say anything because there is no evidence.