- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,050
- 18,903
Police in Tokyo have detained two members of a secretive and profitable group that finds and coerces women into working in the sex industry. The group, known as Natural, has around 1,500 members who scout for potential sex workers on the streets or online and receive commissions from the businesses they refer them to. The group generates about 5 billion JPY (USD 33.7 million) yearly from this illegal activity. The group also has connections with yakuza gangs and pays them protection money to avoid conflicts. The group uses a system of ranks, incentives and violence to motivate and discipline its members. It also conceals its money and identity from law enforcement. The group has been operating in various cities since 2020.
The two men arrested are Yuki Sato, 30, a leader of Natural, and Yuya Sakuma, 28, a member of Natural. They are accused of violating the Organized Crime Punishment Law by threatening another member of the group, whom they had confined earlier. The two men allegedly called the victim on 22 April and warned him not to report the incident to the police. They also engaged in acts that caused fear and distress to the victim, the police said.
Sato is one of the top five leaders of Natural, the police said. He is in charge of one of the five teams that the group has. Each team has hundreds of members competing for better treatment based on their scouting performances. The members are ranked on a scale of around ten, from trainees and contract employees to diamond and platinum players. The ranking system is designed to stir up a competitive spirit among members. In addition to the five teams, Natural has operational departments, such as a contract section and an accounting section, that handle various tasks related to the group's business. The group functions like a corporate organization, a source familiar with the investigation said.
Natural members are forced to pledge to identify as freelance scouts and say nothing about the organization if the police arrest them for persistent solicitation or other acts. The group generally does not use bank accounts to avoid leaving a trail of the funds involved. Instead, leaders around the country meet regularly and distribute the proceeds in cash, the sources said.
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mainichi.jp
The two men arrested are Yuki Sato, 30, a leader of Natural, and Yuya Sakuma, 28, a member of Natural. They are accused of violating the Organized Crime Punishment Law by threatening another member of the group, whom they had confined earlier. The two men allegedly called the victim on 22 April and warned him not to report the incident to the police. They also engaged in acts that caused fear and distress to the victim, the police said.
Sato is one of the top five leaders of Natural, the police said. He is in charge of one of the five teams that the group has. Each team has hundreds of members competing for better treatment based on their scouting performances. The members are ranked on a scale of around ten, from trainees and contract employees to diamond and platinum players. The ranking system is designed to stir up a competitive spirit among members. In addition to the five teams, Natural has operational departments, such as a contract section and an accounting section, that handle various tasks related to the group's business. The group functions like a corporate organization, a source familiar with the investigation said.
Natural members are forced to pledge to identify as freelance scouts and say nothing about the organization if the police arrest them for persistent solicitation or other acts. The group generally does not use bank accounts to avoid leaving a trail of the funds involved. Instead, leaders around the country meet regularly and distribute the proceeds in cash, the sources said.
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2 Japan sex shop scout group members accused of coercing confinement victim to settle case - The Mainichi
TOKYO -- Police have arrested two men for allegedly pressuring a man not to report being illegally confined by the suspects' group to police and to si
