Society

Ikebukuro Bar Manager Re-Arrested for Forcing Female Staff Into Sex Work

TOKYO, Nov 05 (News On Japan) - A bar manager and his female employee in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district were re-arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of forcing a female staff member to work under threat and violence, after previously being detained for compelling her to engage in prostitution.

The suspects, 39-year-old bar manager Maoya Suzuki and 21-year-old employee Aya Tano, are accused of physically assaulting and intimidating a woman in her twenties who worked at their girls’ bar around October last year. According to investigators, the pair reportedly told the victim that her "customer service attitude was poor and she wasn’t earning enough," then struck her on the head with an empty champagne bottle and forced her to continue working.

Police said Suzuki also instructed the victim to work at another establishment known as a “sexy cabaret club,” where sexual contact with customers is allowed. Out of fear, she complied, sometimes showing up to work covered in bruises.

Investigators believe Suzuki filmed some of the assaults and shared the footage with Tano. Both suspects have admitted to the charges.

Source: TBS

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