Tokyo police arrested the owner of a girls bar in the Kabukicho nightlife district on Saturday on suspicion of operating illegally.
Toshihiko Yahata, 35, owner of 55 Lounge, was the first to be arrested for violating the revised law on amusement and sex-related businesses, which took effect the same day, according to police. Yahata has admitted to the charge.
Entities operating such businesses without permission will face a penalty of up to ¥300 million ($2 million), up from a maximum of ¥2 million before the revision. The revised law also states that owners of such businesses who violated the law can be sentenced to prison for up to five years or become subject to fines as high as ¥10 million.
Yahata was arrested for allegedly letting a female employee in her 20s attend to a male customer over a counter on that day.
Police said female workers at the bar wore dress shirts and mini skirts. A tilted mirror was set up inside the counter, enabling customers to look under their skirts.
It is believed that the shop's sales since February 2023 totaled around ¥56 million.
The Tokyo police issued administrative guidance to the store earlier this month and explained about the stricter penalties but the owner failed to take measures to improve the situation.
The revised law also bans male hosts from taking advantage of their female customers who have feelings for them and making the women pay a large amount of money at host clubs. The hosts are also forbidden from asking customers to engage in prostitution to cover the payments. In addition, the revised law prohibits sex-related businesses from giving a part of sales to hosts who scouted women for them.
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