Tokyo cops arrest hostess in Kabukicho overcharging scam

TOKYO (TR) – As a part of an ongoing crackdown on malicious clubs, Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the arrest of a hostess for participating in the overcharging of customers in Shinjuku Ward, reports TBS News (June 8).

On March 11, Nozomi Kojima, a 22-year-old employee of Lumine, located in the Kabukicho entertainment area, is alleged to have lured two male customers to the club at a price of 3,000 yen for an unlimited time period.

After one hour of service, the customers were presented a bill for 240,000 yen. Staff members indicated that total included a a 70,000-yen table charge.

Last month, police arrested the club’s manager, Yoshihiko Okumura, 36, and one other staff member for allegedly threatening the customers in the same incident.

Since Lumine opened in February, police have received 239 complaints from customers who patronized the club, according to the Asahi Shimbun (June 8).

Last month, metropolitan police announced an intensification of patrols to combat an increase in clubs violating a metropolitan ordinance that prohibits bottakuri, or inflating bills.

Between January and April, police received approximately 1,000 complaints of overcharging at hostess clubs in Kabukicho. The figure is 10 times larger than that of one year ago.