A host club worker in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district has been arrested for allegedly serving alcohol to an underage girl, local media reported Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested 22-year-old Yuya Inaba, a university student from Edogawa Ward, on suspicion of violating entertainment business laws and for knowingly allowing a minor into the club and serving her alcohol. The 15-year-old girl visited the club around 10 times between March and July 2023, and had racked up charges that totaled ¥6 million.
She earned the ¥6 million by working as a prostitute in and around Okubo Park in Shinjuku Ward.
A 42-year-old manager of the host club Worst Over has been sent to the prosecutor's office, with the police issuing a “severe penalty” recommendation and calling for his indictment.
Inaba has denied the charges, saying he was unaware the girl was under 18. The manager, meanwhile, has admitted the charges and said he failed to provide proper guidance to Inaba.
According to the Tokyo police, Inaba allegedly lured the girl into spending money by seducing her and making false promises such as, “Let’s get married when you turn 18.”
In March 2023, Inaba allegedly approached the girl while she was out with friends in an area of Kabukicho known as Toyoko, investigators said. According to police, she told Inaba that she was a minor but he still persuaded her to come with him, saying “as long as (she) says that (she) is 18, it will be fine.”
The incident came to light when the girl’s mother consulted the Tokyo police.
In January, host club owners in Kabukicho started banning entry for those under 20, according to Yuichi Hojo, the head of Kabukicho’s host club association.