Someone took screenshots of my photos and shared them with a third party. If I’m threatened with having my papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) exposed using those photos, will Universe take action?

This is Chino from the Universe Club Tokyo branch. Whether we can assist will depend on the details. Saving a member’s profile screen or sending it to someone else is highly likely to violate the club’s terms, so if anything like that has occurred, please contact the club first.

As Mack said, I think having a papa (a male supporter) you can talk to would be better than going through a club. I’ve never personally had a papa, but I have helped a girl I was seeing in connection with an ex-boyfriend.

When you say it’s a photo of a girl, does that mean it isn’t actually you? Is it a friend’s photo? If that’s true, I think the man is absolutely awful. I’d report him to the club first and ask them to remove him. If he’s threatening to expose you, that could probably be considered intimidation. But even if you had evidence and consulted a lawyer, it might end up being the same as admitting, “I was doing papa-katsu.” If it were me, I might say, “I went with a friend to her interview, and they took my photo, but I never registered.” I think the important thing is not to admit that it’s you. Personally, I never wanted to get involved in anything like that, and I felt that if there was even a small risk, it was better not to do it. That’s why I chose a SALON that doesn’t take photos. It’s not just that I don’t want people to know I’m doing papa-katsu—I made that choice with my professional position in mind. I don’t know why the man suddenly said he would expose you, but if you were having a genuinely good relationship, I don’t think things would usually get to that point—unless he was an extremely strange person. I’ve never met anyone like that, so I can’t really say… Maybe the breakup was handled badly, or something along those lines. I’m sure you’re worried and wondering what to do, but I think you should consult the club first. There probably isn’t anywhere else you can turn to. I hope things improve, even if only a little.

Universe Club is not the police, so we cannot arrest men or refer them to prosecutors. Nor are we attorneys, so we cannot resolve disputes either, as doing so would constitute the unauthorized practice of law. That doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. We have a policy of not overlooking criminal behavior and have established a system called the “Universe Police.” Someone who makes threats can likely be forcibly removed from the service to begin with. After that, naturally, if an attorney formally requests information about the man through the proper legal procedures, and the woman is in a situation where she is being threatened, we would promptly provide his personal information. In Japan, if you do something wrong, the law will hold you accountable.

As Taro said, I also suspect the person asking this question may be a fake female account. If she really is a woman, Universe Club will likely take some action, but there’s no guarantee it will be enough to satisfy her. You should understand that this activity carries some risks and proceed at your own responsibility.

You’re a man, aren’t you? Would a woman really refer to herself as a “girl”? The way you use the term “third party” also feels off. There’s a stiffness to your writing that doesn’t sound like something a woman in her 20s would write. Could you actually be a man planning to become the perpetrator here? When you say you’ll “expose” her, who exactly are you planning to expose her to? Unless you know her workplace and social circles well, you can’t even identify who to tell. And if you just upload it somewhere random, there’s already an enormous amount of content online, so the chances of it showing up in a search are practically zero. If she’s a woman working in entertainment, exposing her somewhere public could have an impact. But this kind of thing happens fairly often in that industry, and even if it becomes a topic of discussion, it won’t affect someone who has enough influence. Plenty of entertainers have had things said about them like, “The truth is…” Ah, right—you’re presenting yourself as a woman, aren’t you? If you really are a woman, contacting a lawyer or the police would be good, but first of all, report him to the club. What he’s doing is unacceptable for a male member, so they’ll probably take steps to deal with it. They may also have experience with similar cases—not necessarily this exact situation—and you might be able to benefit from their advice. In any case, if you run into trouble, the safest thing is to report it to everyone involved and make as much noise as possible. You’re the victim, after all, so you’re in the right. If a man is actually asking this question, then absolutely do not do it. Women in the entertainment industry are tough. They’ve been navigating the rough waters of a hellish world of sexual harassment for years. More importantly, isn’t this just pathetic behavior for a man? And pretending to be a woman to ask about it here—how stupid can you be? This will serve as irrefutable evidence. Once it becomes a case, all your access records will be handed over to the authorities. If you still want to go ahead, be my guest—but then I’ll do everything I can to track you down as the official representative of the peanut gallery, so be prepared, lol. Actually, this is starting to get fun. I’d rather you expose her. I sense a spectacle coming（笑） Taro

Do you mean they took screenshots of your photos and are now using them to threaten you? I’m honestly not sure whether this would qualify as a criminal case, but if you preserve the evidence of the threats and contact the club, they may be able to take some action, such as warning the man or banning him from the club. I hope you stay safe.