YOKOHAMA--The lifting of travel restrictions in a post-COVID world had the desired effect of a surge in tourist numbers. But nobody seems to have counted on an influx of “ladyboy” male prostitutes to the main entertainment district here southwest of Tokyo.

In 2019, two male prostitutes were detained by Kanagawa prefectural police. But there were no cases over the next three years when the health scare was raging.

However, between May and September, five men between the ages of 27 and 53 who were from Thailand, the Philippines and Peru were detained.

RESIDENTS FEARFUL

The problem is especially noticeable in the Wakabacho district right next to Isezakicho, the largest entertainment district of Yokohama close to JR Kannai Station.

Condominiums, commercial buildings and parking lots dot the area, but late at night the mood of the community changes.

Streetwalkers often approach men walking by and ask in broken Japanese if they want a good time.

“The atmosphere of the neighborhood is bad, so residents do not walk about at night,” said Susumu Ashihara, 83, who heads the Wakabacho neighborhood association.

About 1,000 people live in Wakabacho. The increase in foreigners loitering on the sidewalks took residents by surprise.

The neighborhood association and Kanagawa prefectural police installed security cameras and established a liaison committee in August to exchange ideas about possible crime prevention measures.

Monthly patrols of the neighborhood also started.

Police went undercover as male customers and detained five foreigners following complaints by residents.

Police have their hands tied as the anti-prostitution law only targets women. Male prostitutes are covered by a prefectural ordinance to prevent pestering pedestrians as barkers for bars and other establishments.

Four of the five detained foreigners arrived in Japan on tourist visas and were staying at a nearby hotel or condominium. Most are believed to have returned to their home countries.

In another effort to crack down on streetwalkers, 57 police officers in September rounded up 17 people and took them to the Isezakicho Police Station or nearby parked vehicles to check their passports. Thirteen were Thai men. There were also two Thai women as well as one Chinese and a Japanese woman.

While some said they were simply standing on the sidewalk minding their own business, police cautioned all of them against engaging in dubious acts.

LAWS BEHIND THE TIMES

An investigative source griped that legal provisions are behind the times.

Those found guilty of soliciting prostitution can face up to six months in prison or a maximum fine of 10,000 yen ($67). But those penalties apply solely to women, so male prostitutes can only be detained with lighter penalties under the prefectural ordinance.

Male prostitutes began working the streets of Wakabacho and surrounding areas around 20 years ago, according to investigative sources. Their clientele, men from within Kanagawa and elsewhere, often learn about such activities via the internet or magazines and converge on the area dotted with cheap hotels a stone’s throw from the entertainment district.

Police have questioned men leaving hotels alone and some have admitted to paying for male prostitutes.

‘TOUCH-AND-GO METHOD’

Years ago, most of the male prostitutes were from South Korea. But the boss of the prostitution ring who recruited them was arrested in 2013.

Since then, many of the male prostitutes are from Thailand. 

“Some cannot speak any Japanese. With a 15-day tourist visa, they use the ‘touch-and-go method’ to make money and return home,” said an investigative source.

Police believe a criminal organization is pulling the strings by providing cheap lodgings and assistance to enter Japan unhindered.

Around 20 years ago, police cleaned up the businesses that were openly operating as brothels in the Koganecho area near Wakabacho.

“Because customers come to this area, male prostitutes come to Japan because they know they can earn money," said an exasperated high-ranking police officer. “There is a negative spiral of demand creating the supply. The only thing we can do is persistently carry out patrols and crack down on such activities.”