Crime & Courts

Kabukicho Support Group Leader Arrested on Suspicion of Sexual Misconduct with ‘Toyoko Kid’

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Two women, believed to be minors, are escorted by police officers in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district in Shinjuku Ward in October 2023.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:23 JST, February 14, 2025

A representative of a support group for young people who frequent the Toyoko area of the Kabukicho nightlife district in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward has been arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct with an underage girl, police said Thursday.

The Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday arrested Masayuki Makino, 43, of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, whose occupation is unknown, on suspicion of violating a Saitama prefectural ordinance forbidding sex with minors.

The suspect, using the name Yuto Makino, was a representative of “Owlxyz,” a support group for “Toyoko kids,” marginalized and often homeless young people who frequent the Toyoko area.

Makino is suspected of committing sexual acts against a then 17-year-old girl at a hotel in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, on Oct. 15, 2023, police said.

Owlxyz has been involved in cleanup efforts in the Toyoko area. They also ran a kodomo shokudo cafeteria, which provided free or low-cost meals to children in the area. The group has suspended its activities since December 2023, they said.