Host Arrested for Using Dating App to Lure Women to Club in Tokyo

Tokyo, Jan. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police have arrested a 27-year-old male host on suspicion of violating the amusement business law by using a dating app to solicit female customers to a “host club” in Tokyo. The arrest marked the first crackdown in the country on cases involving soliciting customers to restaurants and pubs through dating apps, according to the capital’s Metropolitan Police Department. The suspect, Takuto Takeoka, remained silent during questioning, people familiar with the investigation said. Takeoka allegedly contacted two women, ages 27 and 28, through a matching app between May and July last year while posing as a technology industry professional. He then promised them romantic relationships, later disclosed his job and urged them to come to his host club, where male companions entertain women, in the Kabukicho district in Shinjuku Ward. The suspect allegedly generated about 140 million yen in revenue from the women over the past year. He pressured them to borrow money from consumer finance companies. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]