Crackdown on Vietnamese Girls' Bar in Tokyo

Jun 07, 2025 | News On Japan

TOKYO - A Vietnamese-themed girls' bar in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward has been raided by police for operating without a license and employing foreign students on study visas to entertain customers.

The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Nguyen Lam, the 30-year-old owner of the bar named "LAM," along with 24-year-old employee Dinh Hien and one other individual. The three were taken into custody on suspicion of conducting customer entertainment services without the necessary permit on June 4th.

According to investigators, the establishment had employed several women who had entered Japan on student visas, which prohibit work involving customer entertainment.

Footage taken inside the bar shows Dinh wearing a traditional Vietnamese "ao dai" dress while attending to customers.

Dinh reportedly told investigators, "I came to Japan to study. (When asked by a reporter if she attended a language school, she replied,) Yes, now I'm enrolled in a vocational school."

All three individuals have admitted to the charges. Dinh said she applied for the job after seeing a posting on social media, adding, "My teacher told me that working at a girls' bar was not allowed."

The police have indicated they will step up enforcement against businesses that operate illegally by employing individuals in violation of visa regulations.

Source: TBS

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