#105 - Host Clubs

Following from the high-profile case of Mai Watanabe, aka Itadaki-Joshi, we look at the reason why she conned millions of yen - to support her favourite host. Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast. Check my album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Japan Times - How Japan's host clubs trap young women under mountains of debt Asahi Shimbun - Host-addicted ‘sugar baby’ gets 9-year prison term for fraud Asahi Shimbun - ‘Host crazy’ women fall into debt hell through pay-later system Mainichi Shimbun - Japan host clubs' shady dealings that can lead women to prostitution must stop Japan Times - How Japan's host clubs trap young women under mountains of debt Guardian - ‘Host clubs’ in Tokyo force women into sex work to pay off huge debts South China Morning Post - From ‘princess’ to prostitute: how Japan’s host clubs are driving young women into debt and sex work Japan Times (Jake Adelstein) - Host clubs: a hotbed of human trafficking News on Japan - Tokyo tax office scandal: Three female employees busted working in nightclubs Kyodo News - Ex-Kabukicho host club worker allegedly forced customer into prostitution Tokyo Reporter - Tokyo cops bust Korean hostess club frequented by celebs on immigration charges Nil Nilgiree (YouTube) - The Dark Reality of Japanese Host Clubs The Week - Why Japan is clamping down on host clubs The Economist - The controversial cult of the host club in Japan Japan Times - Japan's police crack down on host clubs Wikipedia - Host and hostess clubs Host x Host Institute for Asian Studies - Selling Intimacy under Post-Industrial Capitalism: An Ethnography of Japanese Host Clubs