Violation of the Immigration and Refugee Act
2024/11/11 Jiji Press article, Vietnamese girls’ bar manager re-arrested on suspicion of promoting illegal employment at the “originating store” (Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department) is summarized below.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Division re-arrested 17 people, including Vietnamese national Duong Thi Minh Hong (29), for violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Act, for forcing Vietnamese women without work qualifications to work at girls’ bars. The Duong suspects operated five girls’ bars in Tokyo, Ueno, and other areas, generated sales of approximately 440 million yen from March 2019 to September 2023, and employed 47 women with the explanation that they could work with any status of residence. The Metropolitan Police Department arrested the girls in October on suspicion of violating the Entertainment Business Act.
Violation of entertainment business law
As mentioned above, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested them in October on suspicion of violating the Entertainment Business Act, and this incident was also reported in 2024/10/21 Kyodo News, “17 Vietnamese women arrested, possibly because they were operating a girl’s bar without a license”. I will summarize it below.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Division arrested the manager, Duong Thi Minh Hong (28), and 17 Vietnamese employees on suspicion of operating a girl’s bar without a license in Tokyo, in violation of the Entertainment Business Act. They operate 5 stores in Tokyo and are said to have generated sales of approximately 440 million yen since 2019. The employee came to Japan with a student visa or other visa status, and is also being investigated on suspicion of illegal employment. It is said that he was serving customers behind the counter wearing the Vietnamese national costume Ao Dai.
Activities permitted as non-qualified activities
People residing in Japan with a status of residence other than social status (e.g. spouse of a Japanese national, etc.) cannot engage in activities other than the activities that are defined for each status of residence granted.
Foreign nationals who are living in Japan under a residence status of “Student” or “Dependent” who are not normally allowed to earn income, and wish to work, must obtain a “Permit to Engage in Activity Other than that Permitted under the Status of Residence Permitted.” In principle, there is an upper limit of 28 hours per week.
Furthermore, activities other than that permitted under the status of residence are not something that can be carried out unconditionally, and a part of the principles speculates that any activity in entertainment business cannot be permitted.
Summary
Therefore, if a Vietnamese national working at a Vietnamese girl’s bar without any status among “spouse of a Japanese national”, “spouse of a permanent resident”, “long-term resident” or “permanent resident,” she/he can be arrested at any time. (The same goes for Filipino pubs and Chinese snacks.)