OSAKA -- Thinking the man was her boyfriend, she had only entered the "host club," where male companions entertain female patrons, at his request. After getting her to drink copiously, the host's attitude changed on a dime, and she left the night saddled with a large debt.

The story of how that woman was pushed into the abyss sheds light on how this one host club operated. It was a trap that was laid out in the club's "one-hit course" manual followed by everyone in that business, aiming for quick sales.

In the spring of 2023, the Hyogo Prefecture woman in her 20s matched with a man through a dating app and began seeing him. He worked for a host club in the city of Osaka. One day about six months after they started dating, the two were enjoying a meal at an izakaya pub when he suddenly blurted out, "I'm late for a host club meeting. Actually, there's a penalty fee but I can avoid it if you accompany me."

The woman was not familiar with the system of charges used at host clubs. She was told the first visit would be in the range of 3,000 to 4,000 yen (some $20-$27). Intending to help him, she decided to tag along with him.

The place they were headed was the Aria host club in Osaka's Minami entertainment district. Once inside, the woman was served drinks including tequila and champagne. She has almost no memories of the night, except that before long she seemed to have been taken by the host to a hotel. The man she thought was her boyfriend quickly changed his demeanor in a way she hadn't seen before.

'You can't go home from here'

"Until you pay the host club bill, you can't go home from here." She asked him how much it was, but he said they wouldn't know until they dropped by the place. He didn't allow her to leave the room until morning.

When morning came, their next stop was a karaoke parlor, where a proxy representative of the host club was waiting. In a threatening tone, he told her, "The club opens at 9 tonight. Come and pay up. Borrow as much as you can, up to the maximum consumer credit limit."

Frightened, the woman borrowed a total of 1,087,000 yen (around $7,300) from three major consumer credit companies and other sources, and had no choice but to pay the club.

The woman then immediately went to Hyogo Prefectural Police, telling them, "I paid a million yen to my host boyfriend, but I was told lies -- isn't that fraud?"

Osaka Prefectural Police's Minami Police Station took over the case and began an investigation in light of the malicious nature of the acts involved. As a result, they found that another woman in her 20s had been forced to pay some 500,000 yen ($3,300) through the same technique.

Police subsequently arrested the woman's boyfriend, Yuto Fujisaki, 24; Shunsuke Fujioka, the 27-year-old representative; and the host club's 37-year-old manager, along with the 40-year-old president of a company that operated Aria and other host clubs and that company's 41-year-old second-in-command on suspicion of extortion and other crimes. All of the suspects were men.

Aiming for higher sales through 'one-hit courses'

By that point in their investigation, the police had found a folder titled "Lectures for new recruits" on Fujioka's computer, which contained two files.

One of the files, titled "One-hit course" contained the text, "How to maximize daily sales by using girls who are not expected to become regular patrons as one-time customers."

Some of the points to look for in targets included "girlfriend," "having a day job," "at least 20 years old" and "doesn't know much about hosts."

If successful in bringing a woman to the club, the document said to serve her drink after drink without letting her know the prices, and to not charge her the same day, instead collecting payment after the fact as a debt. This is believed to have allowed the club to make sure the customer had no memory from the drinks, then charge them unjustified amounts.

The document further instructed hosts to gradually drop contact with the women once consumer loans had been granted. It also warned them to avoid leaving evidence of interactions on social media or recorded audio.

The other file, a "course on borrowing," was a manual on identifying women who would easily pass consumer credit screenings. As in the other file, it recommended seeking day workers aged 20 or older. It went on to recommend women who had been at their present jobs for at least a year and who had no history of borrowing money.

Based on these materials, the police deemed the suspects to be engaged in behavior like this across the board at the host club. An investigative source said, "They narrowed down their targets based on whether they could easily be screened for borrowing money. They were targeting their own girlfriends and women who were not familiar with host clubs, and taking advantage of their genuine feelings."

Worsening epidemic of malicious host clubs

There is a growing problem of malicious host clubs forcing women who are unable to pay their debts into prostitution or having them work at sex establishments. The clubs' clever tactics are also coming to light, as victims come forward and damage is reported by the media.

According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, in a notable number of cases, hosts pose as regular men over dating apps, and become close with women. Only at a later point do they reveal themselves as hosts and invite their victims to their places of employment. "It's malicious to solicit them without disclosing intent," an agency official said.

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare data showed that as of the end of October there were 287 consultations made this year to prefectural government women's support centers across the country. In statistics compiled by the National Police Agency (NPA), between January 2023 and June 2024, a total of 203 hosts and other related individuals were rounded up in 83 criminal cases.

In light of the situation, discussions are underway to revise the amusement business law, and the NPA launched a study panel in July 2024 including scholars and executives in restaurant industry groups. They are discussing stricter regulations on malicious tactics such as providing false explanations about bills or taking advantage of women's feelings to lead them into dependency.

Working with the industry

In Osaka Prefecture, where an estimated 200 host clubs operate, police are working on raising awareness within the industry over legal compliance, in addition to cracking down on illegal activities.

On Oct. 23, prefectural police held a joint briefing session to which approximately 140 industry members were invited. Hiroshi Tougo, chairperson of an organization comprising some 70 host clubs in the Minami district, said, "We are aware of inconveniences to the public (caused by malicious host clubs). We'd like to unite in the industry and make sure that the rules are followed."

As of the day of the joint meeting, the prefectural police had taken 47 people in on suspicion of scouting and other activities for sex establishments or host clubs. An official with the force's safety division stated, "We want to thoroughly instruct every person in these businesses on the contents of the briefing session, and for them to conduct business soundly so as not to create victims."

(Japanese original by Mie Omokawa, Osaka City News Department)