Overview

• Saito Masaki, 31, was detained on August 18 for allegedly introducing three women to a Beppu soapland between February and April 2024 in violation of the Employment Security Act.
• Police identify him as the No.2 of a 100-member Access scout team entrusted with guiding subordinates and managing “scoutback” referral fees.
• Investigators estimate Access recruited about 78,000 women to approximately 1,800 shops nationwide from 2019, generating roughly ¥6 billion in referral payments.
• The Tokyo Metropolitan Police declared the network dismantled in June but say they will continue probing outstanding members and tracking the group’s financial flows.
• Authorities are focusing on how “scoutback” payouts drove the organization’s revenue and sustained its recruitment operations.