Fake Marriages For Russian Hostesses

Several people were arrested this week for taking part in an operation that brokered false marriages for about 80 Russian women so that they could work as nightclub hostesses:

Shahar Sakamoto, 37, the operator of a Russian pub from Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, was arrested for about 80 counts of violating forgery laws by allegedly brokering marriages between Japanese men and Russian women so the foreigners could get visas.

There were 21 arrests made, including hostesses on the same charge, and a South Korean national, Yoshiko Li from Bunkyo-ku, who also runs a Russian pub.

Police said on April 26, 2007, Sakamoto and Li filed documents with the Arakawa Municipal Government saying that a 26-year-old Russian hostess had married a 51-year-old Japanese man even though the two were not even a couple.

Police said the suspects would arrange for Russian women to pretend they were traveling from their homeland to Saipan, stopping off in Japan on 15-day transit visas along the way. Authorities say the suspects would arrange scam marriages with Japanese men for the women during their stay, then get them to work as hostesses after obtaining a long-term spouse visa.

Among those arrested was a 34-year-old Russian woman living in Tokyo, who police claim collected marriage arrangement fees of about $3,000 from each would-be hostess.