Interview with two Japanese migrant sex workers

With the yen so cheap and inflation relatively low, the hordes of tourists flocking to Japan today enjoy a great time in the country. On the other hand, many people able to work abroad are doing so to earn more money than they can get in Japan. This includes sex workers, who have recently turned to places like Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Dubai, the United States, and Southeast Asia.

Legal website Bengoshi JP recently focused on the phenomenon of Japanese migrant sex workers, interviewing two examples of women with experience of working overseas.

One woman has been to Manila twice, Taiwan once, and Macau once. She works two or three days a week at a brothel in Japan. She isn’t good with building up a following on social media and only gets one or two customers a day.

She has two pet dogs and a boyfriend who looks after them, which means her living expenses are already high. On top of that, the frequent cosmetic surgery she undergoes is also expensive, so she makes up the shortfall by working as a prostitute.

“Someone from the club I used to work at got in touch about a job overseas. I asked how much I could earn, and they said I could make ¥200,000 a day, so I gave it a try. At first, I was scared because I wouldn’t have anyone to rely on if something happened overseas, and I couldn’t speak English, but when I gave it a try, I returned home safely and earned ¥2 million in two weeks. When I started to run out of money, I started taking on more work overseas.”

What are the living arrangements like?

“In the Philippines, people live in dormitories. Sometimes they have their own room, and sometimes two people share a room. Even in dormitories with only one person, meals are provided, so at times like these, Japanese people who have come to work abroad can meet and get to know each other.”

She showed the writer a photo of the building interior, which was very clean. It looked like a normal apartment.

The boss, or the manager, is in charge of the management. The bosses in the countries I have been to so far have all been Chinese. The staff are also Chinese. There are also helpers in the dorms who cook meals and clean, and they are also Chinese.

“For example, in the Philippines, one building might have three or four establishments, each with a different boss. The rule is that once you enter one establishment, you can’t switch to one with a different boss.

I’ve heard that there are establishments in the Philippines where Japanese people are the bosses, but the ones I know are all Chinese. Most of the customers are Chinese, too. My impression is that Chinese people are in all kinds of countries, running establishments in all kinds of places, and running brothels catering to Chinese people.”

And did she have any bad experiences?

“Sometimes I get reservations from customers on drugs. It’s usually stimulants or marijuana. So far, I’ve never been forced to take drugs. I can choose whether to do them or not. I’m scared of those kinds of illegal drugs and don’t like them, so I refuse.”

She also said that she’s been stuck with a drunk customer and couldn’t leave for hours.

“The customer was staying overnight (about an eight-hour stay), but he didn’t even give me the money before extending. I ended up extending by about five hours and he gave me the money, but when I called the club, all they said was, ‘Get your money quickly and come back,’ and they didn’t help with the problem.

Everything is your own responsibility. Once they send out the scout, it feels like their job is done, so it’s hard to rely on them locally.”

The second interviewee has worked in Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore. She similarly started working overseas to earn more money for cosmetic surgery.

“I first went to Taiwan through an introduction from a scout. I was told, ‘If you want to try working overseas, I recommend Korea or Taiwan, which are safe and close to Japan,’ so I chose Taiwan, which has an image of being pro-Japanese.

I heard that the scout shares information such as photos and profiles with the shops, and the shops then send out girls who make offers.”

She has heard of cases of Japanese women going overseas without using an intermediary like a scout or broker.

“I think there are more and more people who move around overseas without returning to Japan, like those who first went to the Philippines but couldn’t make as much as they expected, so went to Macau. Many of them are freelancers without a scout. If you don’t go through a scout, you can get a lot of money and go to any country you like.

They exchange information with other girls who are also going to work overseas, and they get introduced to bosses. That’s how a lot of girls become freelancers.”

There are expenses involved in being a migrant sex worker, not least the cost of the flight. It also pays to research the best time of the year when to go, since different countries and places have quiet seasons.

And you have to be savvy at the airport when passing through immigration. Certain countries, especially the United States, are turning away young women traveling alone if they suspect they are coming to do sex work.

“I dress modestly, wearing sweatpants and other clothing, and make sure I can speak a certain amount of English. Of course, I don’t put sexy underwear or dresses in my carry-on bag. I procure the clothes and tools I use for work locally. Of course, it costs money, but I consider it a necessary expense.”

The most money can be earned in the West.

“In Asia, I think I can earn about ¥3 to 4 million a month. I heard you can earn ¥5 to 8 million in the US, Australia, and Canada, so I’d like to go to Canada sometime soon.”

You have to work hard for that kind of money, though.

“It’s normal to have more than 10 customers per day. The course lasts about 30 minutes to an hour. It may sound harsh, but you just do the work and don’t have to deal with customers, so it’s easy.”

The women doing this kind of work run the risk of having bad experiences with customers, and also of getting ripped off.

“I’ve heard that remittance scams have been on the rise recently. If you take the money you earn home in cash, it might get confiscated, so I use a remittance system, but there are some scammers who just steal it all. Remittance services take about 10-20% of the money, so I’m currently gathering information to see if there are any other ways to do this.”