In Kabukicho, Two Women Run Audacious Sex Scams

How two women in Kabukicho are fleecing desperate men — and why they’re getting away with it.

Picture: okd / PIXTA(ピクスタ); Canva

By Jay Andrew Allen

Kabukicho and Okubo Park in Japan are hotspots for illegal prostitution. They’re also the scene of a lot of related fraud, as some women and organized crime groups use dating apps to target men desperate for sex. Lately, two unnamed women in particular have captured headlines for their audaciousness — and their speed.

Is prostitution legal in Japan?

Street prostitution in Japan has increased since the public health crisis and hasn’t let up since. (Picture: shrimpgraphic / PIXTA(ピクスタ))

To answer a common question: no, prostitution is not legal in Japan. Certain sexual services outside of penetrative sex are legal within the confines of a properly licensed business governed by the country entertainment, or fuuzoku (風俗), law. Selling sexual services outside of these contexts is against the law.

Kabukicho, in particular, is home to several licensed entertainment and sexual services. On the one hand, you have girl’s bars, cabaret clubs, and host clubs, where customers pay good money mainly for conversation and maybe some light touching. (Businesses like SOD Land, which offers the opportunity to drink…