I’m not sure whether it’s appropriate to ask this here, but I have a question.

I’m Rin, a female member. They’re completely out of the question. No matter how wealthy they are or how impressive their achievements may be, someone who engages in illegal or inconsiderate behavior—or makes others uncomfortable—will also lower the dignity of the person they’re with. Even if you dislike it, if you drink, dine, or become intimate with them, people around you will see you that way too.

Maezawa from the President’s Office here as well. Thank you for your question. > He drove home after drinking because he thought he wouldn’t get caught. Drunk driving results in an immediate forced ban. Please contact the club so that other women don’t have to go through the same frightening experience. If you think you should just put up with it, more women may end up facing the same danger. That said, men may deny it, which can make things difficult. However, if similar reports come in from other women, we can determine that the man is lying and force him to leave the club. > At the time, I had traveled from quite far away to the meeting place, but I only received enough allowance to cover my actual transportation costs, which also bothered me a little. The club’s rules require men to give women a gratuity referred to as transportation expenses, so this is a violation of the rules. Please consult the branch where you registered. We will investigate properly, and if the man simply misunderstood, we will ensure that you receive the appropriate amount. However, ideally, we would like women to say at the time: “I was told I would receive ¥5,000–¥10,000 in addition to my actual transportation costs.” If you say that and still don’t receive the money, pressing the issue further could be dangerous, so please contact the club instead. > Do you continue seeing a papa (a male supporter) who doesn’t seem particularly clean or well-groomed if the allowance is good enough? Normally, I wouldn’t see him, but everyone has different circumstances, so I imagine some people do continue seeing them.

I’m Marika, a female member. This isn’t even a matter of how much allowance you’d receive. If you were seen with someone like that, people would question your own dignity. If he tells you he drove there, but you still drink with him and he ends up causing an accident afterward, you might even be questioned by the police. I was going to post a separate question, but since it’s relevant, I’ll say this here: men like that can still become Universe members because an interview alone isn’t enough to identify them. There are all kinds of people—clingy types, borderline stalkers, and so on—but every one of them passed the interview and was accepted as a member. And blaming the staff over whether a woman’s only interested in dinner only isn’t going to change anything, you know?

I’m Tetsu, a male member. If what you describe in your question is true, that man is violating the membership rules. I’m not sure what prompted you to ask this, but perhaps the decision comes down to how much you’re willing to tolerate. Unless there’s something you find physically impossible to deal with, I imagine women often push themselves to some extent when meeting male members. So, would it be something like: allowance = compensation, and continuing the arrangement = reaching a settlement?

I’m Kazu, a male member. Not paying the transportation allowance (a ¥5,000–¥10,000 thank-you payment for the date) upfront, as well as drinking and driving—an illegal act—are both violations of the membership rules. I think you should report him to the club. This goes beyond simply having a clean, well-groomed appearance, so I wouldn’t recommend meeting him. It just occurred to me: did you meet him through an app or something other than Universe Club?

I’m in Seattle. You should report that to Universe Club. You ran into an awful male member—bad enough to warrant being permanently banned.