The Arrest
Police in Sapporo have arrested a senior gang figure over a pub in the city's Susukino nightlife district that allegedly operated without a license and put an underage girl to work entertaining customers.
The Hokkaido Prefectural Police's Sapporo Chuo Station arrested the man on October 22 on suspicion of violating the fuei-ho (the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act), according to STV News Hokkaido and HBC News Hokkaido. Both broadcasters identified him as a 59-year-old executive of the Fifth-Generation Seiyukai, a Sapporo-based affiliate of the Sixth-Generation Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest crime syndicate. (HBC's headline gave his age as 58; the body of its report, like STV's, said 59.)
The Allegations
Police allege that the man conspired with others to run a drinking establishment in Chuo Ward, Sapporo, on August 30, 2024, where female employees entertained male customers even though the business had no adult-entertainment license. Investigators further allege that a female employee under 18 was among those made to entertain customers.
Under the fuei-ho, "hospitality" (settai) businesses, in which staff sit with customers, pour drinks and keep them company, must hold a license from the prefectural public safety commission. Having anyone under 18 perform that work is banned outright.
According to STV, the case came to light through a call to police from a customer. The customer said two women he had been drinking with had walked away, and that the bar was demanding 100,000 yen (about $650) for food and drinks, leading to a dispute with the shop. Police said the women posed as ordinary patrons while serving drinks and entertaining customers.
A Case Built From the Bottom Up
The arrest is the latest stage of a longer investigation. HBC reported that police arrested the gang members who actually ran the pub in January this year. Investigators say evidence gathered after those arrests pointed to the executive's involvement. STV said Seiyukai members had already been apprehended in the case.
His Response
The man has given a mixed account. HBC quoted him as telling investigators, "My subordinates did this, so I understand I bear responsibility." At the same time, HBC reported, he denies the specific allegations of operating without a license and employing a girl under 18.
Why It Matters
Police believe the pub's revenue went to the gang. Both outlets reported that investigators are looking into whether the business served as a funding source for the organization.
That puts the case squarely in a pattern Japanese police have been working for years. Unlicensed hospitality bars, aggressive billing and the use of minors are recurring features of yakuza-linked nightlife businesses. Prosecuting the boss, not just the staff on the floor, is how police try to cut off the money. In practice, that usually means reaching the boss only after the people below him have been arrested, as happened here.
Susukino, Hokkaido's biggest nightlife district, has been a steady focus of Hokkaido police this year. This site has previously reported on undercover operations there targeting street touts.
Sources: STV News Hokkaido, October 22, 2026, 8:13 p.m., for the arrest, the charge, the August 30, 2024 date, the customer's report and the 100,000-yen bill, the women posing as customers, and the funding-source investigation. HBC News Hokkaido, October 22, 2026, 5:54 p.m., for the January arrests of the pub's operators, the suspect's statement and his denial of the core allegations. Both reports were accessed via Yahoo! News Japan. The broadcasters named the suspect; this site does not. The dollar figure is an approximate conversion. Glossary: fuei-ho = Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act. An arrest is not a finding of guilt.