I used to be a member.

Since you also want to resolve this as amicably as possible, as the other respondents have mentioned, it’s best to do so if you can. However, in the unlikely event that your profile or other information is posted online… I think the key to resolving the situation quickly is whether a public authority will take action. This applies not only to information held by the club, but also to requests for disclosure of an IP address—the unique number assigned when using the internet on a computer or smartphone. If the request comes from a court or the police, the information may be disclosed relatively quickly, whereas an individual’s request likely won’t be handled so easily. As for my answer, I can only speak from what I’ve seen around me, but I’ve never heard of a case where someone’s profile was posted online.

Thank you for your question. I’ll answer as Maezawa as well. > Are there any cases like that? Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of such a case. I suspect that, unless the person is a celebrity, their profile page wouldn’t have much value. Also, once someone withdraws, their photos are deleted, and their profile can no longer be viewed by women who have left the service. It feels like there are more reports of issues such as covert photography and drunk driving, even though those should be less common. Naturally, anyone caught taking covert photos would be permanently banned, so they wouldn’t be able to make offers afterward. In that sense, Universe can be considered fairly safe. (That said, I’m sure some people do it without getting caught, so it’s still important to be careful.) Men like that will probably move to dating apps. As for other dating clubs—especially those that aren’t members of the Dating Club Association—they may not have a reporting system, or even if they do, I get the impression that people aren’t easily permanently banned. So I worry about whether the women active elsewhere are really safe. > I’m afraid he might lash out, and I don’t even know his real name. Considering the possibility that something could happen, I’d like to handle things as peacefully as possible. Yes, settling things peacefully is best. In that sense, as Mac suggested, it may be a good idea not to mark the messages as read at first, and then save them later as evidence. Not replying at all is probably best. Blocking him may also give you more peace of mind, but I think it comes down to whether preserving the evidence is more important. Generally speaking, I think more people choose to block them. > After withdrawing, would you still be able to help with problems like this, such as disclosing information? We’ll help as much as we can, so please feel free to consult us. (That said, we’re neither lawyers nor the police, so there’s a limit to what we can do.) However, we cannot disclose information based on a request from a private individual. Basically, disclosure must be requested by the police or a court. (In the case of the police, even if we refused to disclose the information, they could conduct a compulsory search and seize the man’s information if they determined that the crime was serious.) Under the Attorney Act, a lawyer can also request the information, but it depends on the circumstances because of the need to balance that request with privacy protection.

I’ve heard of a case involving another dating club where a man prepaid several months’ worth of allowance, but the woman blocked him after he started sending creepy LINE messages. In retaliation, the man sent her workplace’s HR department a printout of her profile page, claiming, “One of your employees scammed me.” It’s probably safe to assume that very few people would go berserk and retaliate just because a woman they met once a few years ago ignored them. However, if you commit fraud or something close to it, you may be resented and face that kind of retaliation. When you think about it, that’s only natural. The club may sometimes take action regarding disputes between individuals, but since these are essentially personal matters, I don’t think you should rely on the club to handle them.

As far as I know, there haven’t been any cases where something like that was exposed and became a problem. You’d think it would happen, but apparently not. That said, I imagine quite a few male members save screenshots of women’s profiles and photos. The membership rules probably say you can be forcibly removed for sharing them with others, but is there actually any rule against taking and saving screenshots? Recently, the system changed so that men can no longer view the profiles of women they’ve already made an offer to. So I imagine more men are saving screenshots as a reminder. Whether that’s good or bad is debatable. As for messages or calls from a man you’ve broken up with, it’s best not to delete them—just leave them unread. After some time has passed, maybe a month or so, mark them as read and take screenshots. If possible, save them on a computer or separate storage as well, in case your phone breaks. This is in case he starts stalking you or any other problems arise. If anything, it’s more important to prepare for the possibility of being sued by the man’s wife. As I mentioned before, the ideal approach would be: 1) don’t let him leave anything in writing, such as LINE messages, stating that he’s married; and 2) if possible, ask him, “Please do this as a precaution in case your wife finds out,” and have him write “I’m single” in a LINE message—even though it’s a lie. When you really think about it, whether or not someone did papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) isn’t that big of an issue. If your future spouse or partner considers it a dealbreaker, there’s nothing you can do about it, so you’re better off ending the relationship quickly.