Industry rules to halt the practice of allowing customers to run up tabs should be imposed for host club businesses, said Shinjuku ward mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi.

Mr Yoshizumi made this statement amid cases of “malicious host clubs” charging female customers hefty bills they could not afford, putting them in debt, reported Japanese media. 

In a press conference on Nov 17, Mr Yoshizumi said: “Charging customers large bills (at host clubs) is a consumer affairs issue, and criminal acts have also been observed.”

According to Japanese news outlet The Mainichi, Mr Yoshizumi said there are about 300 host clubs in Kabukicho, a popular entertainment district in Shinjuku, and almost all the clubs allow running tabs, where customers accumulate charges and pay only when they end their visit.

This results in many cases where female customers are unable to foot the final bill, and turn to working in the sex industry and prostitution to pay off their debts. 

“As the local government (of Shinjuku), we want to avoid a situation in which the lives of those who have found their way to this town, including minors, are ruined,” added Mr Yoshizumi. 

Men who use women’s romantic feelings to make them work in adult entertainment businesses are “romance scammers”, he said.

Host clubs, where smartly dressed young men entertain women customers over drinks, are ubiquitous in Tokyo. 

Customers are known to splurge on top hosts – typically men who, besides being good lookers, are adept at conversation and connecting with clients.

The host industry is a billion-dollar one, accounting for 2.5 trillion yen (S$22.5 billion) annually, reported Japan Today in 2020. 

The Mainichi reported that the Shinjuku ward will work with the Metropolitan Police Department in Shinjuku and private organisations to provide guidance to host club businesses. Weekly consultation services with lawyers specialising in the issue will also be available. 

Mr Yoshizumi said legally reinforcing such rules might be difficult due to the principle of freedom of contract.

In Japan’s Civil Code, it is stated that any person may freely decide whether or not to conclude a contract unless otherwise provided for in laws and regulations.

But, he said, it might be possible by firmly enforcing laws such as the Consumer Contract Act, which is aimed at protecting the interests and welfare of consumers. 

The Mainichi reported that Japan’s government is aware of this issue, and it is being discussed at the ongoing session of the Diet, as Japan’s Parliament is known. 

At a press conference on Nov 16, Commissioner-General Yasuhiro Tsuyuki, who heads the National Police Agency, said that “anonymous and fluid criminal groups” might be using social media to carry out fraudulent operations. 

“They may be making unfair profits behind the scenes. We would like to strengthen our crackdown on them,” he added.