OSAKA — The Osaka District Court has dismissed a harm lawsuit filed by a former funding firm consultant who claimed a Kitashinchi hostess swindled him out of two billion yen beneath the false promise of marriage, studies the Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 10).
According to the ruling handed down on February 26, the courtroom rejected Sho Kikuchi’s claims of marriage fraud, highlighting the authorized complexities of decoding “romantic sales” (irokoi-eigyo) within the nightlife trade.
The plaintiff, a former director at funding firm Exia LLC, first met Himeka Nakamoto in March 2021 when he visited a hostess membership in Osaka City’s high-end Kitashinchi leisure district as a buyer. The two shortly started what he believed was a real romantic relationship.
By October of that yr, their exchanges escalated. The man despatched a message through the Line messaging app stating, “Please absolutely become my bride.” The hostess enthusiastically replied, “I love you. I will!”
The following month, Nakamoto additional fueled his expectations by messaging, “Make me your bride. I love you.”
Bound for the altar
Convinced they have been sure for the altar, the plaintiff showered the hostess with huge quantities of money and luxurious objects, which he claims ultimately totaled a staggering 2 billion yen. The centerpiece of his lavish spending was a 35-million-yen diamond ring, which he introduced to her on Christmas Eve in 2021.
However, the “honeymoon” section ultimately collapsed. By January 2023, Nakamoto had despatched a message abruptly ending the connection.
Infuriated and feeling deceived, Kikuchi filed a civil lawsuit with the Osaka District Court in March 2025 looking for 38.5 million yen in damages.
The plaintiff argued that the hostess maliciously manipulated his romantic emotions to extract exorbitant quantities of cash and luxurious items.
While a revised Entertainment Business Law carried out final yr explicitly cracked down on irokoi-eigyo — the follow of exploiting a buyer’s romantic emotions for monetary achieve — the courtroom finally dominated that the girl’s actions didn’t meet the authorized threshold for marriage fraud.
The controversial verdict underscores the steep authorized limitations confronted by nightlife patrons making an attempt to show fraudulent intent behind the candy phrases exchanged within the shadows of the membership scene.