Tokyo Metropolitan Police raided two popular nightclubs within the Gas Panic chain in the Roppongi entertainment district early Sunday morning for improper licensing and took two employees into custody, reports TV Asahi (Nov. 28).
Police arrested managers Hidenori Wakita, 36, and Nishihata, 35, for allowing dancing at clubs Gas Panic Bar and Club 99 after 1 a.m. — a violation of the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.
Nippon News Network reports that 150 customers were inside the two clubs when police arrived.
This is the second arrest in two years for Wakita. In 2009, police found similar violations at Club 99 and GP Bar, which is also within the Gas Panic chain, and took the manager into custody.
TBS News reports that average monthly revenues for Gas Panic Bar total 10 million yen.
According to police, the club installed a security camera at the door to alert management to turn the music down if police appeared.
“I realized that it is against the law, but I operated in this way to meet the needs of the customers,” Wakita is quoted by police.
http://www.tokyoreporter.com/2011/11/28/gas-panic-clubs-in-roppongi-raided-for-improper-licensing-two-arrested/
The weekend bust of two popular nightclubs within the Gas Panic chain was due to the presence of undesirable foreigners, reports Nikkan Gendai (Nov. 30).
Early Sunday morning, Tokyo Metropolitan Police entered clubs Gas Panic Bar and Club 99 in the Roppongi entertainment district and arrested managers Hidenori Wakita, 36, and Fumiki Nishihata, 35, for allowing dancing after 1 a.m. — a violation of the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.
A journalist who covers the adult entertainment industry says the chain of foreigner-frequented bars is popular for those on low budgets, but in recent times police have been taking notice of trouble.
“Recently, poorly behaving foreigners from the Middle East and South-East Asia have started showing up,” says the source. “They make others not want to come around, and maybe some neighbors complained.”
The tabloid says that the raid of Gas Panic Bar occurred just before 2 a.m. “There were close to 200 customers in the place,” says a salaryman present at the time. “As the name says, it was a panic. At first, I thought they were targeting drugs or gangs. I was stunned that it was due to licensing problems since this sort of thing has been going on for 20 years.”
The issue concerns the type of license. Establishments within the Gas Panic chain are licensed as bars, which under the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses are not allowed to provide entertainment, such as dancing, after 1 a.m. without special authorization. Only drinking, however, is permissible.
This was the second arrest in two years for Wakita. In 2009, police found similar violations at Club 99 and GP Bar, which is also within the Gas Panic chain, and took the manager into custody. After that, Gas Panic Bar installed a security camera at the door to alert management to turn the music down if police appeared.
Wakita was eventually convicted.
This latest bust sends a message, continues the adult-entertainment journalist. “The crackdown will expand,” the writer says. “There are tens of thousands of improperly licensed clubs. Gas Panic is a big name, and they have continued to ignore warnings. Perhaps the police are taking a step forward to show the serious consequences to everyone else.”
http://www.tokyoreporter.com/2011/12/01/bust-of-gas-panic-bars-in-roppongi-due-to-poorl-behaving-foreigners/
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