A video that was widely shared on social media showed a chaotic scene on the streets of Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Amid a crowd of onlookers, a man in a black suit lay on the ground on his back. Next to him stood a woman dressed in white. The video captured the shouts of a police officer but had many unclear parts in the audio. However, some words were audible.
“I can’t forgive this.” “She ruined my life.”
Among the words heard, someone shouted at the fallen man:
“You destroyed someone’s life, you arrogant brat!” “Die, you piece of ****!”
A little after 1:00 AM on the 5th, the Shinjuku Police Station arrested a woman in her 20s on suspicion of attempted murder for stabbing the man. According to reports, the man was stabbed in the shoulder area with a box cutter, but he was not in life-threatening condition.
“In another video, the woman can be heard saying that she ‘spent over 10 million yen on the man in half a year.’ Presumably, the man who was stabbed is a host. The motive for the crime is likely a woman who contributed a large sum of money but had her life disrupted and held a grudge against the man.” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)
On the internet, various opinions have emerged in response to this news.
Should hosts be regulated by the law, or is it a case of reaping what you sow? “Both parties don’t seem entirely blameless. Leading someone to squander large sums of money by brainwashing them is also problematic.” “The situation of forcing someone to pay, saying that if you can’t, you should work in the sex industry and earn money, clearly goes against public morals. There is a need for regulation through the law.”
Many voices argue that host clubs should be regulated. However, others have a different perspective.
“If you’re an adult and you willingly threw money around for fun, it’s your own doing.”
Nevertheless, it’s a fact that the so-called ‘itadako joshi,’ who have recently been arrested for defrauding multiple men of large sums of money, spent their earnings on hosts. The increasing prevalence of ‘standing prostitutes’ (street prostitution) involves many women who earn money and spend it on hosts, making it a social issue. It might be necessary to consider some form of countermeasure.
Towards the end of the video, a police officer asked, “Did you stab him?”
“Ten minutes ago,” the woman answered quietly.
