But city officials and residents here have become infuriated by the sheer number of these lascivious ads, which mar its reputation as an environmentally friendly city. Some critics say that the situation here is the worst in the country.
Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region, with a population of over 1 million. Its people pride themselves on its tradition as a prestigious castle town. During their peak about eight years ago, more than 20, fliers were posted daily in the area, according to Hiromi Sasaki, head of the living safety division of the Sendai Chuo Police Station.
Others said the peak figure reached 50, a day. Due to a sluggish economy and strengthened law enforcement, the number of fliers has steadily declined. Currently, just a few thousand are posted each day. Last year, 59 people were arrested, including 11 minors, for distributing such fliers in the precinct, he said. Sasaki said it has to do with the city being a regional business hub. He believes many of the date club patrons are visitors who come to the city on business trips. During their heyday, it was believed 12 such clubs existed, but the number is around six today, Sasaki said.
The pink chirashi problem, however, is an endless game of the clubs playing hide-and-seek with the authorities. But the clubs outsmarted the cops by dropping the price from the fliers so distributors who got caught would only face charges under the Minor Offense Law, the penalty for which is a fine. The problem will remain unless the date clubs are eradicated from the city, he said, adding that the way the clubs operate makes it almost impossible for investigators to catch their owners.
Under current law, authorities cannot arrest call girls for merely having sex for money unless they solicit the transaction, which is handled by the date clubs, and it is almost impossible to trace the club owners through the phone numbers on the fliers. Investigators could previously track down the club owners by busting the printing shops that produced the fliers, but now the ads are printed overseas, Sasaki said.
