By Peter Berton
TOKYO – Asian media is buzzing with news about the prostitution trial of 53-year-old Risako Yokota. She was busted in February and charged with violating Japan’s anti-prostitution law.
“Yokota did not run your ordinary, run-of-the-mill brothels,” JapanDailyPress.com reported. “Her two prostitution clubs, the Kairaku Kukan and the Maihime, targeted senior citizens. The 10 prostitutes she employed were aged 40 and above, the oldest at 70 years old.”
Various media have followed the case since, reporting the suspect allegedly charged her elderly clients between 12,000 and 14,000 yen (about U.S. $121 to $141) for a two-hour appointment. Her sex workers reportedly received a 3,000-yen-per-client commission (about U.S. $30).
Prosecutors claim Yokota began by offering deri heru, or outcall services, for which she would schedule sex workers to arrive at clients’ homes or hotel rooms. In 2006, she established two permanent facilities.
“I knew from my experience in the deri heru trade that a prostitution club would be profitable,” Yokota told the court during trial.
In fact, Yokota’s share of the revenues from her business reportedly topped U.S. $530,000 in two years. More importantly, based on a top rate of $141 per visit, the revenues translate into at least 3,546 visits by satisfied customers.
As for the revelation Japanese pensioners are paying for sex?
“The public should not be surprised at this phenomenon, as more than 20 percent of Japan’s population is 65 years old and above,” JapanDailyPress pointed out.
And, apparently, frisky.
“The government has admitted that Japan’s population is an aging population – the country owning one of the world’s highest proportions of senior citizens,” JapanDailyPress noted. “The population make-up may have played a big part of Yokota’s business. She certainly is not denying any of the allegations made against her.
“It would not be surprising at all if there might be more of the same illegal brothels all over the nation,” the site concluded.
