Why Japan's Tokyo is emerging as a sex hub

An Asian city is emerging as a hub for sex tourism – and it might not be the one you imagine.

According to several media reports, Japan’s Tokyo is witnessing an influx of foreigners in search of a good time.

This, as poverty increases and the Japanese yen weakens.

But what do we know? And why is this happening?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know?

According to SCMP, in the days when Japan was an economic powerhouse, its men would flock abroad.

Flush with cash, they would be seeking encounters with women from poorer nations.

But now the tables have turned.

“ Japan has become a poor country,” Yoshihide Tanaka, secretary general of the Liaison Council Protecting Youths (Seiboren), told This Week in Asia.

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This, as a nearby park, fills with young women waiting for customers even before the sun goes down.

Tanaka told The Star he first noticed how more and more foreigners were visiting the nearby park after the removal of COVID-19 restrictions.

“…we are seeing a lot more foreign men,” he said. “They come from many countries. They are white, Asian, black – but the majority are Chinese.”

Tanaka told SCMP a number of teens and women in their 20s are getting into sex work.

Why is this happening?

Experts say there are several reasons.

According to the Daily Guardian, this is down to an influx of tourists, a rise in poverty and a weakening of the yen.

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The newspaper said the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major cause of women going into the flesh trade.

Many are seeking to pay off debts or expenses incurred at host clubs.

SCMP, quoted one girl, Rua, 19, as saying that was her experience.

“I owed a lot of money to a host, so from April I went to the park,” Rua said. “I needed to pay off my debts and wanted to buy nice things, like clothes.”

“There are all different types of men who come to the park, but I would say that about half are foreigners,” she said. “I’ve talked to girls who have been here longer and they say that is different, that it used to be mainly Japanese men, but this place has become famous.”

Japan Times previously reported that such host clubs have led to many women going into debt.

The clubs themselves have been linked to sex work, illegal operations abroad and street solicitation.

The newspaper quoted the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as saying that 43 per cent of the women arrested said they were only doing so to pay off host club debts or support underground male idols.

Around 80 per cent of those arrested were in their 20s, while three were 19 or under.

Many are worried about the situation.

Tanaka told SCMP he has seen a troubling increase in violence.

“It’s getting worse. Much worse,” Tanaka said. “There are more kids here and more violence, but our organisation cannot do anything more than we are already doing.”

Rua knows of just such a tale.

“One of my friends was attacked by a Chinese man on the street a few weeks ago,” she said. “They were talking about the price and he suddenly got angry and hit and kicked her. She hit her head on something and had a bad injury. It happens quite often, but I have been lucky so far.”

Kazunori Yamanoi, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told the Japan Times, “The reality is that Japan has become a country where foreign men can obtain young women and essentially buy sexual services.”

“This is no longer just a domestic issue. It’s a very serious problem regarding how Japanese women are perceived in the international community,” Kazunori added.

With inputs from agencies