"Toyoko Kids" Aid Center Wrestling with Challenges

Tokyo, Jan. 6 (Jiji Press)--The Tokyo metropolitan government is struggling to maintain the secure environment at its youth consultation center in Shinjuku Ward's Kabukicho district while upholding the principle of having the facility accept all those who need help.

The center, named Kimimamo@kabukicho, opened in Kabukicho in May 2024 to give advice to boys and girls hanging around an area called "Toyoko" in the heart of the largest red-light district in Japan so as to prevent those "Toyoko Kids" from going bad or getting involved in crimes.

Initially, social workers and other Kimimamo staff members provided consultation to visiting youngsters while allowing them to remain anonymous, a move aimed at encouraging visits by even people hesitant to disclose their private information to the consultants.

Currently, however, the center requires advance user registration and limits the number of users to prevent overcrowding, in the wake of a host of troubles there including arrests on charges of obscene acts, visits by adults with malicious intent and a nuisance. The metropolitan government also confirmed conversations among users about drug overdosing and sugar daddy dating.

As countermeasures, the center has been staffed by former police officers and more security guards.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]