I’m being asked to pay medical expenses plus compensation for giving someone an STI. Do I have to pay?

Maezawa from the CEO’s office here, answering as well. > I’d felt something was off with my genitals for some time, but since I had no symptoms, I left it untreated. I was shocked to find out that I had an STI. I’m shocked that you noticed something was wrong and still left it untreated. If you felt something was off, you should have gotten tested immediately. I can’t believe you didn’t even consider that you might have an illness at that stage. And when I think that a man like this was active as a member and may have infected numerous women, I don’t think it would be excessive for him to pay around one million yen per person as an apology. > The cost of retesting is included as well, and I’m wondering whether I’m really supposed to pay for that myself. I don’t understand what you mean. Where do you think you can determine that treatment is complete? After finishing treatment and believing you’ve recovered, you need to get tested again. Only when that test comes back negative can you say the illness has been cured. You won’t know whether you’ve recovered unless you get retested, so the fact that you’re questioning whether you should pay for the retest is baffling in itself. > We were supposed to meet, but we had to reschedule because of the STI. Am I obligated to pay the allowance for that missed meeting? This isn’t about whether you’re obligated—it’s about whether you genuinely feel sorry. If you do, you should pay more than just one meeting’s allowance. Even a traffic accident resulting in hospitalization can lead to compensation of 500,000 yen or more. Since this wasn’t a case involving hospitalization, I don’t know whether there’s an established standard for compensation. But if you truly feel sorry for infecting someone who was healthy, then converting that apology into money and giving it to them is only natural. > Why report something as trivial as an STI to the club? If you really think an STI is “no big deal,” I sincerely hope you quit the club immediately. What would you do if the other person died because of it? Would you kill someone and then simply excuse yourself by saying you didn’t know? You’re taking this far too lightly. At this point, I have to question whether you have any sense of responsibility as a human being. > I was angry and frustrated, wondering what was going on with the staff for simply taking her word for it and acting accordingly. What do you mean, “simply taking her word for it”? You have an STI, don’t you? And you’d already felt something was wrong before that, didn’t you? No matter how you look at it, what she said sounds like the truth. If anything, I think the staff handled the situation properly. Naturally, I assume you’ll be prohibited from participating until you provide proof of a negative test. Can’t they just force you to leave the club permanently? Saying that your conduct wasn’t gentlemanly should be more than enough. I hope you never use Universe again.

I’m Aya, a female member. If it really was a scam, it would be easy to find out once the club got involved. What’s scary is that there are papa-katsu men like you who spread an STI and then have the nerve to get angry at the woman for it. You’re absolutely the worst. The fact that you don’t even realize what you’ve done makes it even worse—it’s serious. What would you do if she contracted an STI and became unable to have children? Because of your own desires, you may have completely changed one woman’s life. To begin with, due to the structure of their bodies, women are more likely to pick up bacteria through sexual activity. STIs are also more likely to lead to infertility in women. Please understand that women face greater physical risks than men through sexual activity, and how devastating it must be for a woman to contract an illness from some random older man.

Teramoto from the Tokyo branch of Universe Club would also like to share an answer. Thank you for your question. I apologize that this is entirely my personal opinion. If you are, or may become, involved in adult relationships (intimate) with multiple people, I recommend getting regular checkups even if you don’t notice any discomfort in your intimate area. This can help prevent problems like this one, and women are also likely to see you as “a very gentlemanly man.” Regarding the payment, please rest assured that the club will never contact you to demand payment, whether you choose to pay or not. If the woman contacts us saying that she absolutely wants to get in touch, we may tell her, “It’s entirely up to the gentleman, but if you’re comfortable with it, could you please contact him?” However, we will never force you to contact her or make a payment. Even if we wanted to, once the arrangement has ended, there is basically nothing more we can do to intervene. Since you have not violated any laws, I believe you are not legally obligated to pay. That said, if you proceeded with intimacy despite noticing discomfort in your intimate area and ultimately passed something on to her, you may wish to make the payment as an apology. Whether you pay or not, neither the law nor the club will hold you accountable, so the decision is entirely up to you.

I’m Flag Maker, a columnist. I think it’s best to simply resolve things with money when money can take care of them. I really don’t want to get into arguments over STIs and stuff like that ^^;

I’m Kazu, a male member. I’m surprised you left it untreated despite feeling something was wrong with your genitals. > I was planning to fade out because things felt awkward, then offer to meet other women once treatment was over. I have to question that as a person. She bravely told you she had contracted an STI, and you just chose to ignore it? If you think you may have infected her, I believe you should at least cover her medical expenses. Naturally, she should also be retested to confirm that she has recovered. > Am I obligated to pay the allowance for the meeting we had to reschedule because of the STI? I think that depends on each person’s perspective. It isn’t an obligation. > Why report something as trivial as an STI to the club, and what’s with the staff taking her word for it and acting on it? The staff probably haven’t simply taken her word for it—that’s why they haven’t contacted you. Based on your question, it sounds like you know you may be responsible, so isn’t this just you lashing out defensively? As a fellow male member, I find this embarrassing.

I’m Tetsu, a male member. Do you have definite proof that you transmitted an STI to her? If you did, I think you should pay for her medical expenses. However, judging from the messages you received from the woman, it sounds like it could be a scam—or even blackmail. You should contact the club, explain what happened, and discuss how to handle it. If, as she claims, she has already contacted the club, they should be aware of the situation. If the club says they haven’t received any such message, then there’s a good chance you’re being deceived. Talking to her directly in the current situation will probably only make things worse, so consult the club first and decide what to do next.