Photo/Illutration A plainclothes policeman, third from left, questions a woman who was soliciting a customer near Okubo Koen park in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district in July 2023. (Shoko Mifune)

A 61-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a second woman in the sex industry in Tokyo in attacks that shed light on the dangers posed to streetwalkers. 

The suspect is known as the “man with a knife” among female sex workers in Kabukicho, a red-light district in the capital. 

Masahide Nanba, a barber from Mitaka in western Tokyo, is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman trying to net a customer by luring her into a hotel room, the Metropolitan Police Department said on July 2.

The suspect denied the allegations, saying, “I do not remember at all,” police said of the incident they said occurred on July 20, 2023.

Nanba was previously arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting another woman seeking clients in Kabukicho on May 27, after also luring her into a hotel room, according to an MPD announcement on June 11. 

In both cases, Nanba showed what appeared to be a knife when he attacked the victims, who were in their 20s, police said.

In last year's case, the suspect pretended to be a policeman, produced what appeared to be an arrest warrant in the hotel room and told the woman, “I will let you off the hook if you do what I tell you to,” police said.

One weekday in mid-June, about five women who appeared to be in their 20s were seen working near Okubo Koen park in Kabukicho around 7 p.m.

By around 10 p.m., the number of women increased to about 20, standing roughly at equal intervals.

Arata Sakamoto, head of the nonprofit Rescue Hub that helps sex workers with rehabilitation, has received consultations from about 100 women and provided housing for many.

Sakamoto shared that the women said they suffered violence, were secretly photographed and had money stolen from their purses.

“They know prostitution is illegal and never think about complaining to police,” he said.

Sakamoto said the number of women entering this line of work has increased since COVID-19 cases spread.

Until a few years ago, many sold sex to make up for their reduced incomes after they lost their jobs or worked shorter hours due to pandemic restrictions, he said.

However, Sakamoto estimates that nearly 90 percent of sex workers now are saddled with debt after spending big at host clubs and other establishments where they are entertained by men.

“Many women have never thought of the risk of running into danger,” he said. “We need to provide support and take countermeasures.”

Last year, the MPD took action against 140 women between the ages of 17 and 56 on suspicion of soliciting on the streets, a violation of the Anti-Prostitution Law.

During the first half of this year, police confronted 35 women ranging in age from their teens to their 40s.

Related News