Tokyo Gov Ishihara works to increase the number of call-girls

Tokyo governor gets hard on world's oldest professionals
Mainichi.co.jp, WaiWai, by Ryann Connell
August 15, 2004 - -
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's battle to drive sex businesses from the capital may well be appearing to work on the surface, but is in reality making the flesh trade sleazier and dirtier by driving it underground, according to Spa! (8/10-17).
Ishihara's clean-up campaign that really kicked in from July has already started wiping out erotic massage parlors and imekura, or "image clubs," establishments where customers can ask to be serviced by workers clad in selected outfits such as schoolgirl uniforms or maid's dresses.
Popping up to take their place, however, are the seedier varieties of call-girl businesses, which only need to register with the national government above Ishihara to be permitted to operate.
"I suppose the government is aiming for increased tax revenue by having a greater number of call-girl operations registering with it. But, sex businesses operating without a storefront can easily do things on the sly and I fear the sex business is going to be driven underground like it was in the past," adult entertainment industry writer Namedaruma Shimamoto tells Spa! "....