First Deai Cafe Busted In Tokyo

[Mulboyne]

It's the place on the third floor with the huge signs across the windows.

Mainichi: Tokyo dating cafe manager arrested, 31 girls questioned
The manager of an illegal Tokyo dating cafe was arrested Thursday and 31 girls who were customers were questioned, police said. This is the first time in Tokyo that police have cracked down on a dating cafe, according to investigators. The use of such clubs by underage girls where men and women seek partners has become a major social problem. Ryuji Minoda, 24, manager of Can Cafe in the Higashi-Ikebukuro Itchome district of Toshima-ku, is accused of violating the metropolitan government ordinance regulating dating clubs by operating the establishment in a restricted area. Investigators also accuse him of introducing a male customer to two 16-year-old high school girls. Yuji Kameyama, 43, was also arrested Thursday for paying 20,000 yen to a 16-year-old high school girl he had got acquainted with at the cafe to have sex with him at a nearby hotel on May 23, according to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) investigators. A total of 31 teenage girls, mostly high school girls, were also questioned for using the cafe. When investigators raided the cafe on Wednesday, 35 of the 51 female customers were aged below 18. Under a metropolitan government ordinance, the establishment of dating clubs is prohibited in the Higashi-Ikebukuro Itchome district where a high school is situated.

[ttjereth]

It's the place on the third floor with the huge signs across the windows.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080529p2a00m0na014000c.html

I wonder how they managed to find it, it was hidden so well.

[Cortana]

7-11 got tired of having to restock condoms 12 times a day.

[Greji]

I wonder how they managed to find it, it was hidden so well.

I wonder where Take will go now?:confused:

[IkemenTommy]

Wait, you can't meet people at a cafe to exchange numbers and hook up? Are they going to target bars next? What the hell is this world coming to?:shake:

[Mulboyne]

A place called momocafe in Omiya, Saitaima has just been busted on the same grounds. The company also has branches in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku and describes itself as a "lounge-style dating joint". The website says that momocafe is "produced" by manga artist Akira Narita. Narita drew a hit series of comics based on his experiences with terekura which turned him into something of a leading authority on the business.

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: 'Dating cafes' fostering child prostitution / Some prefectures tackling problem, but police finding crackdown difficult elsewhere

Cases of child prostitution involving dating-service cafes have been increasing sharply, prompting some local governments to take measures such as banning people under 18 from entering such establishments. Inside the cafes, men choose women from among the female clientele and try to secure dates with them. The system has triggered many cases of prostitution involving minors. In a sizable number of such cases, minors who entered the cafes purely out of curiosity have been targeted. The local governments, including the Kanagawa and Kyoto prefectural governments, revised their local ordinances to ban under 18s from entering such cafes. One such facility near JR Yokohama Station displays a sign saying, "Coffee shop with manga library -- no entrance fee for women." The floor is separated into two areas by a one-way mirror with the height of the floor in the men's area about 50 centimeters lower than that of the women's. Male customers, some wearing business suits, gaze at young women sitting on sofas through the one-way mirror. Female customers cannot see the men.

The cafe displays a notice saying girls aged 16 or older are welcome. The women included girls in school uniforms. Clerks tell the male customers, "If you see a girl you like, feel free to name her." The cafe is open from 9 a.m. to midnight and about 200 people -- both male and female -- visit each day. If a female customer is chosen, she chats with the man for about 10 minutes. If she agrees to a date outside the cafe, the man pays her "transportation expenses." The man also pays the cafe an admission fee, a naming fee and a fee if he manages to arrange a date, totaling about 8,000 yen. Women do not have to pay for anything.

According to the National Police Agency, the number of such dating-service cafes began increasing around 2006. As of the end of 2007, there were 77 such facilities in Tokyo and 14 other prefectures. With 27, Tokyo has the highest number of such establishments, followed by 11 in Aichi Prefecture, nine in Osaka Prefecture, and seven each in Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures. The cafes tend to be concentrated in big cities. Though 22 of the 77 cafes display signs banning under 18s, an NPA official said, "It's impossible to confirm whether the cafes are actually checking customers' ages." Some cafes display signs saying that under 18s are welcome.

According to the NPA's data, the first cases of child prostitution and sexual abuse involving the dating-service cafes surfaced in 2007, with 26 such incidents reported. This year, there had been 22 such cases as of the end of August, including incidents involving two middle school students. This reflects a trend in which the ages of female customers is dropping. A 15-year-old third year middle school student said she was initially invited by a friend to visit a dating-service cafe in Yokohama. She said she was plied with alcohol outside the cafe and sexually abused. Investigators of the Kanagawa prefectural police quoted her as saying: "I treated it all very lightly as I thought I'd be able to dine for free. I never thought I'd be taken to a hotel. I regret it now." A senior official of the prefectural police said: "Many girls hear rumors that they'll be able to dine at a man's expense, and visit such cafes just for curiosity or in the hope of getting money. Though this is no different from brokering child prostitution, the current laws can't cover these cases."

A law for regulating entertainment businesses prohibits people under 18 from entering or working in certain businesses, such as telephone-dating establishments and cabaret clubs. But the law cannot cover the dating-service cafes and similar cases as the females involved are not employed by the business operators. The manager of one such cafe involved in a prostitution case said: "I just offer opportunities for people to meet. I can't be held responsible for what happens outside my cafe."

In January, the NPA instructed prefectural police headquarters across the nation to check potentially unlawful acts conducted by dating-service cafe operators. But so far, only one cafe has been investigated over child prostitution. In that case, the Metropolitan Police Department applied a clause of an ordinance regulating dating clubs that prohibits minors from entering the premises and limits areas where such facilities can operate, against a manager and employees of a dating-service cafe in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo on suspicion that they allowed a 16-year-old high school girl, who later became involved in prostitution, to enter the cafe. The MPD regarded the operators of the cafe as brokers in paid sexual services. However, only Tokyo has such a local ordinance.

On Sunday, the Saitama prefectural police detained the manager and employees of a dating-service cafe on suspicion of brokering prostitution services involving adult women. In the case, the manager paid "waiting fees" to female customers. The prefectural police thus regarded they had an employer-employee relationship. But in cases in which dating-service cafe operators do not pay or offer other benefits to women, finding ways of cracking down on them is difficult. Kanagawa prefectural police and some other police forces investigated several such cafes on suspicion of brokering child prostitution services, but no arrests were made. Police have had to use other techniques, such as applying the Trademark Law, to investigate the cafes. Yukio Akatsuka, a social affairs commentator, said, "Girls are using these cafes in the same way they use manga or Internet cafes...Such cafes are more risky than telephone dating clubs in that the girls could be caught up in child prostitution while they think they are just having fun. The business operators are irresponsible," he added.

[Greji]

".....A 15-year-old third year middle school student said she was initially invited by a friend to visit a dating-service cafe in Yokohama. She said she was plied with alcohol outside the cafe and sexually abused. Investigators of the Kanagawa prefectural police quoted her as saying: "I treated it all very lightly as I thought I'd be able to dine for free. I never thought I'd be taken to a hotel. I regret it now....."

Which is translated to read "That stingy kusojiji wouldn't come up with any good money and even with that he was a shitty lay. I regret it now that I went with that tightwad!"

I love how all of this is "just coming to light", or cases are "rapidly increasing" in number. It's been going on since I got here and I know it just didn't start then.....

[Behan]

Back around in 1997 or so I remember enjokosai being a big issue. But, as you said, Greji, it has probably been around a lot longer.

[Greji]

Back around in 1997 or so I remember enjokosai being a big issue. But, as you said, Greji, it has probably been around a lot longer.

Hell, in the 60's and 70's, some would even wear their uniforms into bars (if they weren't from an elite school).

The age of consent at that time was 12. So essentially, it was "if they're old enough to bleed, they're old enough to butcher".

The cops opinion was it was a parental control problem, not theirs.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Police crack down on pay-for-play 'coffee shops'

Establishments where men pay to meet and "date" young women are under heavy police scrutiny, following a number of cases involving abuse of underage girls. Known as deai-kei kissa, or dating-service coffee shops, they resemble places that serve lattes and cappuccinos in name only. Male customers pay a fee upon entry and look at women through a one-way mirror. If they see one they like, they can try to negotiate a date. On the surface, everything takes place under the guise of "free love." In reality, some of the women engage in prostitution. Others have been sexually assaulted by customers. With most deai-kei kissa ostensibly operating within the law, police are reviewing a variety of ordinances as they seek legal avenues to shut down these businesses.

At one deai-kei kissa tucked inside a building near Tokyo's JR Ikebukuro Station, women enter free of charge, while men pay 10,000 yen as a membership fee. On certain days, the shop allows men free entry. Resembling a karaoke booth, the deai-kei kissa has two separate rooms behind the registration desk: one for men, the other for women. From inside the dimly lit men's room, patrons can look through a one-way mirror to where women sit on the opposite side, painting their nails, sipping soft drinks and surfing the Internet. While the women are young, the majority of male patrons are middle-aged. Once a patron makes his "selection," he and the woman can move to a designated "talk room" where they can negotiate the terms of a date. One woman, a college student, regularly goes on dates, receiving 5,000 yen each time for "transportation expenses." "I have meals with a few men and make money by collecting transportation money. It is like a part-time job for me, but sometimes there are guys who want to pay for sex. That can be difficult," she said. "There are some girls who openly turn tricks."

The forerunners of the deai-kei kissa were the "date clubs" that came to prominence in the mid-1990s. Police say that deai-kei kissa started cropping up around 2006, and there are currently more than 70 such establishments operating mostly in Tokyo, as well as Osaka and Aichi prefectures. Alarmed by a spate of cases involving young girls who, trying to earn extra cash, ended up victims of assault, local police forces have begun employing a variety of legal tactics to clamp down on deai-kei kissa operators. A 40-year-old whose shop in Sapporo used a TV show title as its name was arrested in April on suspicion of violating the trademark law. The following month, deai-kei kissa owners were arrested on suspicion of violating a Tokyo ordinance regulating date clubs. Finally, on Oct. 5, Saitama prefectural police arrested the manager of the momocafe Omiya. It was the first case nationwide involving a deai-kei kissa in which the anti-prostitution law was applied. The manager was later fined 100,000 yen.

Saitama police initially raided the premises citing suspected violations of the employment security law. On its website, the shop touted to women that they could "earn more than 5,000 yen a day." Despite a warning on the website against using the facility for "prostitution purposes," police managed to identify a couple who exchanged money for sex. It was enough to charge the store owner with running a prostitution service. After initially claiming he "wasn't aware of prostitution going on," the owner eventually changed his tune. A Saitama prefectural police official said, "If we let this go on, (these places) will become breeding grounds for prostitution and child prostitution."

The prefectures of Kyoto and Kanagawa have passed reform bills banning anyone under 18 from entering these establishments. Despite the concerted efforts of the police and local governments, there has been little panic within the industry. A sex-industry operator who runs a deai-kei kissa in the Tokyo area said, "If we go by what the Saitama prefectural police claim, deai-kei websites are also out."

The entrepreneur boasted that he had not seen any decrease in customers after the bust. Another sex-industry operator planning to open up shop in Kanagawa Prefecture noted that "there are fewer places where men can pick up girls these days. "Websites are too scary, as there have been all sorts of crimes. That's why shops where you can actually see the other person are popular." An added boon is the fact there is no shortage of willing women. For many, earning 3,000 yen to 5,000 yen just by sharing a meal with a guy seems like a sweet deal. The operator said, "If you abide by the ordinances, that makes you legit. It is almost as if things are getting easier."

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: NPA to regulate dating-service cafes

The National Police Agency plans to regulate dating-service cafes, which have been accused of being hotbeds for child prostitution, by banning people under 18 from entering such facilities, it was learned Thursday. In dating-service cafes, men who pay an entrance fee can choose a woman from among female customers and invite her outside the cafe for a date. As many cafes allow girls under 18 to enter, the system has triggered many cases of prostitution involving minors. In light of the situation, the NPA will make such cafes subject to the Adult Entertainment Businesses Law. While the law prohibits people under 18 from entering or working in certain businesses, it currently does not cover dating-service cafes. An expert panel that the NPA will soon set up likely will study making such facilities subject to the law by revising relevant ordinances. The NPA hopes to start regulating such facilities by the end of this year. At dating-service cafes, male customers who pay joining and admission fees can choose a woman from among female visitors, and the pair are then taken to a private room. If they agree to date outside the cafe, the male client may leave with the woman.

According to the NPA, police departments nationwide were aware of the existence of 88 such facilities in Tokyo and 14 prefectures as of the end of last year. As female visitors do not need to pay entrance fees, some girls under 18 use the system in the hope of making money. Thirty-three cases of child prostitution and other crimes involving such cafes were uncovered nationwide in 2008. Because the females involved are not employed by the business operators, and also because no sexual activity takes place inside the dating-service cafes, the law is powerless to regulate them. Business operators can open such facilities simply by obtaining permission from a public health center to operate a restaurant -- the same procedure followed when opening a normal cafe. Unsavory incidents involving dating-service cafes have been reported since around 2006, according to the NPA. While five prefectures, including Kyoto and Kanagawa prefectures, have taken measures to ban people under 18 from entering such facilities by revising local ordinances, there have been increasing calls for regulating such facilities in a uniform way throughout the nation. If dating-service cafes become subject to the law, people under 18 will be prohibited from entering them. If the law is violated, business operators will be punished. Also, business operators will be required to submit notification to prefectural public safety commissions when they open dating-service cafes.

[BO-SENSEI]

The whole enjo kosai culture sickens me, but whose to blame, the greedy high school aged girls who offer themselves to business men in return for expensive gift or money, or its in the men who are willing to shuffle out ridiculous amounts of money for arm candy.

[Greji]

Yomiuri: NPA to regulate dating-service cafes".....the pair are then taken to a private room. If they agree to date outside the cafe, the male client may leave with the woman....."

If they go to the private room, why would they have to go outside for a date? She can just smash the smega right there. She leaves with her money and pops leaves his load and they both live happily ever after....

[james]

It's been going on since I got here and I know it just didn't start then.....

you'd think after a hundred years or so even the j-coppers would have caught on by now