Overview
- Police arrested Enomoto Yuto, 35, who is accused of running operations for the scout group, after a tip led officers to a pachinko parlor in Umeda on Thursday.
- He was taken into custody on suspicion of violating the Employment Security Law by introducing a woman to a sex establishment in Takasaki during September–November 2023.
- Investigators say Enomoto served as Natural’s operational No.2 and oversaw units such as contract sourcing and app management while the group's top figure, Obata Hiroaki, has already been arrested and indicted.
- Authorities estimate Natural collected illegal introduction fees on the scale of tens of billions of yen a year and say some proceeds may have flowed to organized crime groups.
- The case highlights how anonymous, mobile scouting networks operate across prefectures, and officials say public tips and joint prefectural coordination will shape further arrests and prosecutions.