A 62-year-old Nigerian national has been arrested for operating an unlicensed karaoke bar in Tokyo's Kabukicho and having female staff entertain customers, as police raided the district over aggressive touting and rip-offs that have cost victims ¥390 million this year.
The suspect, Equeluundou Amuburusu Oshita, is accused of running the bar without a permit in Shinjuku Ward on Wednesday and having female employees serve customers, according to reports.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the bar had already been hit with an administrative penalty in September for operating without a license. It stayed open and had taken in more than ¥80 million, the department said.
The bar had also drawn complaints about rip-offs, in which customers are charged far more than they expect. Rip-off losses reported in Shinjuku Ward this year have reached ¥390 million.
Sweep targets the street, not the model
Police carried out coordinated inspections across Kabukicho on Wednesday, and five people have been arrested so far. The raids come as the district's licensed and unlicensed bars alike draw customers through touts who steer them through the door.
The bar's takings of more than ¥80 million, against a September penalty that did not close it, point to how little an administrative sanction interrupts the trade. Enforcement has focused on the touts and the unlicensed operators they feed.