Photo/Illutration The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Seven men have been arrested in connection with prostitution targeting foreign tourists at a brothel in Tokyo’s Kabukicho red-light district.

Kazuki Sudo, 54, the manager of Sparaku, is suspected of allowing women in their 20s to use private rooms in the brothel for prostitution between October and December, in violation of the anti-prostitution law.

Five men working with Sudo are also facing the allegations, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

A seventh man, 68, was also arrested on suspicion of lending the property to Sudo, knowing it would be used for illicit activities.

Sudo has admitted to the allegations, stating that 90 percent of the customers were from overseas.

An arrested employee stated that the brothel accepted payments in various currencies. Authorities found 16 of these, including U.S. dollars, at the establishment.

The brothel reportedly hired a foreign national to solicit international customers on the street.

All the women working at the establishment were Japanese, including those Sudo had recruited around Okubo Park, a nearby hotspot for street prostitution.

The recent increase in independent prostitutes in the area has drawn police attention, with some turning to sex work after becoming heavily indebted to host clubs.

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