crime

Tokyo bar manager arrested for employing minors as hostesses

34 Comments

Police in Tokyo have arrested the 32-year-old manager of a bar for employing high school girls as hostesses.

According to police, Yuichi Yamada, who runs a “girls bar” called DIOSA in Yushima, Bunkyo Ward, employed four girls aged 15 to 17 to work late at night in September and October, in violation of labor regulations, Fuji TV reported. In Japan, it is illegal to employ anyone under the age of 18 to work between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Yamada has been charged with violating the Labor Standards Law.

Police said that for past seven months, sales at Yamada’s establishment were around 40 million yen and it is reported that some girls even earned 300,000 yen a month. According to police reports, Yamada is also a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate.

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34 Comments
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The 7 month revenue figures are irrelevant. Especially as they are revenue figures. Net profit will be totally different. And hostess bars are not illegal. The real story here is employing 15 year olds to work in a hostess bar. And even that alone is not illegal in Japan believe it or not. The legality clause is the working hours for a 15 year old. So the headline here is incorrect and just to grab attention. It should read "bar manager arrested for making 15 year old hostesses work nights".

15 ( +16 / -1 )

Police said that for past seven months, sales at Yamada’s establishment were around 40 million yen

I do hope that this bust is legitimate, and not just because the cops didn't get their cut of the profits.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

Parents don't even care where their kids are in middle of the night.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

it is illegal to employ anyone under the age of 18 to work between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The only thing he did wrong was having them work too late. This means that, it's alright to sexually exploit young girls as long as they are home before midnight so they can go to school. You have to be kidding me!

6 ( +8 / -2 )

300000 yen a month at the age of 15? I was still playing with my playstation at that age.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I doubt the females were paid above the table, so that figure is just a ballpark figure. Regardless, how many of those females provided for their families, i.e. where did that money go?

That money, sir, went into make-up, getting that new iPhone, buying mini skirts, hideous high heels, fancy jewelry, fake eye lashes, coffee, and name brand handbags.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Yup. Working after 10 illegal. doing something before 10 which can earn 300 000 yen is ok though.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I doubt the females were paid above the table, so that figure is just a ballpark figure. Regardless, how many of those females provided for their families, i.e. where did that money go?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I teach at a night High School this year. I'm pretty sure that at least two of my students are working as hostesses, judging by the way they often dress e.g. spike heels, mini skirts that just barely cover their butts, bare midriffs, LV bags etc. Of course I don't know for sure, but when I ran into these two dressed like that in a subway station late on a Friday, they really tried hard to not be noticed. The really sad thing to me is, not that I may be correct, but the lack of any emotion at all on the face of one of them, no smiles, no anger, no nothing ever. I can't imagine what she may have been through (or is going through), but she used to be somebody's baby girl. Sad.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

if you ship Yaks away.. Japanese society will collapse anyways yea.. seems like the Sakuradomon gang didnt get the cut they felt deserved

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Yakuza involved in child prostitution, quelle surprise. They'll be putting oranges in marmalade next.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Yamada is also a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate

Can we arrest all the members and ship them to a remote island?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

who runs a “girls bar” called DIOSA in Yushima, Bunkyo Ward

Why dont you just say Ueno? It's Ueno. Manager arrested for making 15 year old hostesses work nights, in Ueno..

3 ( +3 / -0 )

"Only Y300,000 per month? seems too low for the profession."

Don't think 15yo work FT in these joints, probably weekends only. 300K is pretty decent pocket money for a 15-17yo.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Very sad situation sensei258

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Girls in HS had been warned how to dress and walk for quite while because some male teachers concentrate in snooping you than teaching you.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Girls may be working to save Mooney to attend. a college. There is no law against giving and receiving money on table. Tips. When yakuza try to do legitimate business, they get in trouble...

Errm, they could be saving money to attend a college, or they could be spending it on Louis Vuitton. I know where my bet is placed. The important question is, if you had a 15 or 16 year old daughter, how comfortable would you be that their part-time job is managed by gangsters known for prostitution and people smuggling..? If you were a Japanese father and they moved your teenage daughter into prostitution and you went to stop it, youre going to end up in hospital, or dead, and the rest of the family threatened.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Stranger, yep, the last suggestion is just as viable as the first. And at the age of 15 you should still be studying in high school and not needing money to get you through college. But that would place a 15 year old in the hands of a gangster with her deadbeat parents not in any position to help her. My post was in response to a comment about their job just being about tips and legitimate. My post spelt out the reality of how these gangsters make their money. Its not from tips in a Jonathans.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is incredibly common in the countryside. Although I bet the girls in the countryside make far less money.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Well, at least they're going to night school.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This is disgusting.

If 15 year-olds are hostessing late at night (and let's put all the other unsavoury crap that they'll be exposed to by this chimpira), how in hell are they supposed to stay awake at school? Shabu?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

And we can be sure that these underaged girls were only working illegally as hostesses and nothing else:-()

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How about to arrest the customers who pay for 15 year old girls too

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Googling images for the DIOSA "girls club", there are some areas in the club with bars and some with the long tables and couches, and adjacent ottomans. The images had DIOSA watermarks on them.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Alistair Carnellthe police went like "Let's Busty!" ;)

0 ( +2 / -2 )

i wonder if he was payg the young girls pay adult wages? Those kid getting around with kegs of beer on their back at the ballgame, how old are they. it like the same so why do people think one is approperite and the other not?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Errm, they could be saving money to attend a college, or they could be spending it on Louis Vuitton. I know where my bet is placed.

You'd be better not to place that bet at all, since both are true. Some girls spend their money on expensive handbags and whatever. Some use it to put themselves through university. Some use it to pay to live because their parents are deadbeats.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

A Jap woman who I used to work with is self confessed hostess when she was in high school. I asked her why and she said because she likes branded clothes and bags and her parents could not afford it : (

0 ( +0 / -0 )

gogogoNOV. 01, 2016 - 04:12PM JST

Can we arrest all the members and ship them to a remote island?

The real problem is that the police do not disclose the member list of yakuza organizations. So, there is no telling if you or I am listed. There is no procedure to delete one's name wrongly listed. And there are circumstantial evidences that the list is not accurate.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

if they had the high school students behind the bar they may face another charge. it is illegal for high school students of any age to work behind a bar serving alcohol in japan

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Girls may be working to save Mooney to attend. a college. There is no law against giving and receiving money on table. Tips. When yakuza try to do legitimate business, they get in trouble...

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

sales at Yamada’s establishment were around 40 million yen and it is reported that some girls even earned 300,000 yen a month.

Only Y300,000 per month? seems too low for the profession.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

The only thing he did wrong was having them work too late. This means that, it's alright to sexually exploit young girls as long as they are home before midnight so they can go to school.

It was a hostess bar, not prostitution. I don't see how they could make it illegal without essentially making talking to girls that age illegal, which would prevent them from being able to do any customer service job.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

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