TOKYO - Japan’s men’s underground idol scene is drawing scrutiny after a legal revision targeting host clubs left what industry insiders describe as a gray zone where some performers use intimate fan services and costly perks to generate large sums of money.
The revised entertainment business law, which took effect in June 2025, banned so-called romantic sales tactics in which host clubs exploit customers’ romantic feelings to induce them to spend heavily on food and drinks. But interviews with people familiar with the scene show that some men’s underground idol groups are using services resembling those of malicious host clubs, including excessive physical contact with fans, to earn high revenues.
Men’s underground idols, often known as “menchika,” perform at small live houses and events while earning money mainly through merchandise sales, photo sessions and special fan benefits. In some cases, the distance between idols and fans is extremely close, with hugs, prolonged hand-holding, cheek-to-cheek photo poses and other forms of contact becoming part of what fans pay for.
One person connected to the industry said groups that engage in physical contact have become more prominent, adding that many fans entering the scene are women roughly between the ages of 18 and 30. “I do think it is not normal when groups that involve physical contact start appearing,” the person said. “That is also part of the appeal, but depending on the venue, the special benefit sessions can become quite extreme.”
The culture is said to have developed around 2011, when male idol options outside major agencies were limited. At the time, the market was largely dominated by Johnny & Associates, LDH and Korean pop groups, while groups such as Chotokkyu and Nagoya-based Boys and Men began expanding the range of male idol acts. Unlike major agency groups, however, men’s underground idol groups developed closer to live house and fan-event culture.
An industry insider said there may now be about 2,000 such groups across Japan. Some performers start out aspiring to be idols, while others later move into host club work. The culture of paid fan interactions drew partly from maid cafes, where fans could take instant photos and receive written messages, but early operators did not anticipate that female fans would request highly suggestive or intimate poses from male performers.
“At first, there were almost no rules,” the insider said. “There was no assumption that fans would ask male idols for obscene contact or poses involving a lot of touching.”
As some groups allowed more contact, others came under pressure from fans to do the same. Members were reportedly told by fans that rival groups offered closer physical contact, creating a race to provide more intimate services. People in the industry also said some producers came from the visual kei band scene, where close fan interaction had already existed, and adapted those practices to men’s idol events.
The attraction for some performers, according to industry insiders, is that the business can appear easier than host work. Performers can use their looks to earn money without necessarily drinking alcohol with customers, and without devoting themselves fully to singing or dancing. “There are people who think they can make money easily if they look good and can do a little bit,” one person said. “It also satisfies their need for recognition.”
The lack of clear legal treatment is a major concern. In ordinary adult entertainment venues, sitting next to a customer or providing close service can fall under regulated categories requiring specific licenses. But similar conduct at idol events may not be handled the same way, leaving operators in a gray area. One industry source said clearer rules could force groups to operate more properly and push out those that refuse to comply.
The financial structure also encourages escalation. Groups that do not provide excessive services may struggle to earn enough to pay for music videos, costumes and other production costs. Some underground idols become trapped in a cycle in which they need more money to improve their activities, but can only raise it by offering more intense fan services.
At joint live events, known as taiban, performers from multiple groups appear on the same bill. Former participants said they saw senior groups offer special benefit sessions in which fans handed over tickets and were immediately hugged before taking cheki instant photos. In some cases, idols and fans stayed pressed together, with their faces extremely close.
One former performer said he had initially supported a no-contact policy, but after seeing the level of contact at taiban events in Shinjuku, his own sense of boundaries became dulled. “I started thinking maybe patting someone on the head would be acceptable,” he said.
Some special benefits go far beyond ordinary photo sessions. Fans can accumulate points by buying tickets, cheki photos and other items, which may then be exchanged for rewards such as short dates, photo-booth outings, Disney dates or even helicopter dates. One person said a helicopter date could cost about 8 million yen in cheki spending alone, with live tickets and other costs paid separately. Such rewards also become a form of status among fans, who use them to show how much they have spent.
The scene includes a wide range of groups, from larger male idol acts able to perform at substantial venues to smaller underground groups with little draw. In some groups, a single fan may spend several million yen, making broad popularity less important than securing a small number of heavy spenders.
Venues have also become more cautious. In areas such as Kichijoji and Shinjuku, one person said there may be 10 to 20 live events a month for a given group, with many held in Kichijoji, but live houses have become less willing to rent space to men’s underground idol groups because of the poor reputation of their special benefit sessions.
Some groups are said to operate in closed circles, avoiding joint events and using company-run live houses, making their activities harder for outsiders to see. Industry insiders said this isolation allows more extreme practices to continue while limiting information from reaching the wider music scene.
The fan mentality has also changed. Rather than feeling ashamed about spending large sums, some fans view heavy spending as a source of pride. “They want to think, ‘I spent this much,’” one industry observer said. “Spending money satisfies their desire for recognition.”
A legal expert said routine hugging, prolonged hand-holding and similar services could make it easier to judge the activity as a form of customer entertainment under existing law. However, the current wording of the entertainment business law may not be sufficient to regulate such idol activities directly, and additional language or new operational guidelines may be needed.
The expert said broader social recognition of the problem would likely be necessary before authorities move to close the loophole. If the public sees such activities as a way to evade host club regulations, new rules or enforcement practices could emerge.
One reason host clubs and men’s underground idol groups attract particular concern is that young female fans may be more able to raise money through sex work, the expert said. Because youth itself can become a source of financial value, the spending pressure can push fans toward lower ages and greater vulnerability. “If people around them are earning money that way, the younger they are, the more likely they may think they can do it too,” the expert said. “That is probably the biggest problem.”
Source: 産経ニュース
