OSAKA - In response to a sharp rise in women soliciting prostitution on the streets of Osaka's Kita entertainment district, police and local authorities implemented countermeasures last year. But how effective have those measures been?
Upon closer investigation, it appears that prostitution is continuing, albeit with increasingly clever methods to evade detection.
Reporter’s note: "There’s someone being approached right now. Looks like they’re negotiating."
At around 7 p.m. on April 1st in Osaka’s Chuo Ward, several women could be seen standing on the street, apparently for the purpose of prostitution.
When a reporter approached one of them:
Woman: "Are you the police?" Reporter: "No, I’m a reporter from Kansai TV."
Woman: "Working in a sex shop means I lose a cut of my pay, and I can’t choose who I deal with. That’s a big issue."
Concerns about deteriorating public safety led to a unique initiative last December: painting the streets in bright yellow. The idea was to use human psychology—people tend to avoid conspicuous places.
Now, four months later, has the strategy worked?
According to police data, prior to the road painting, as many as 17 women could be seen standing at once, with an average of 7 at any given time.
By February this year, after the painting, the average had dropped to 0.9—representing a roughly 90% decrease.
However, new reports suggest that many have simply moved their activity to the Minami area or are now using so-called “encounter bars” to find customers.
While the original hotspot in Umeda has quieted down, prostitution persists—now in different locations and with increasingly complex tactics.
Source: KTV NEWS
