Arrests in Tokyo Linked to StripChat Streaming Activities
Four individuals were recently arrested in Tokyo after being accused of streaming explicit content through the Cyprus-based adult website StripChat. The accused include Yuki Kitagawa, 28, the president of company TOPPA, a 24-year-old female manager, and two unemployed women aged 40 and 34. These operations reportedly occurred from a studio in Tokyo, drawing a significant global audience from March to August.
Financial Operations and Viewer Statistics of StripChat
StripChat, known for its multi-lingual service offerings including Japanese, allows audiences to pay for live streams and provide tips to performers. Tokyo police report that TOPPA has accumulated over 100 million yen (approximately USD 693,000) from viewer payments and other related revenues since February of the previous year. A considerable share of these earnings was distributed among the performers.
Recruitment and Earnings on StripChat
TOPPA's recruitment strategy involved using the social media platform X to advertise positions, offering up to 85% of earned revenue to performers with potential hourly rates exceeding 30,000 yen (around USD 207). This approach led to over 100 registrations by individuals, producing a significant amount of content centered around nude performances, primarily conducted within Tokyo-based studios.
Regulatory Scrutiny and Audience Insights
As of December 2023, the European Commission has classified StripChat as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, which mandates effective management of harmful content. Further investigations by the Commission commenced in May focusing on possible breaches of this act.
According to Similarweb Ltd., StripChat received roughly 667 million visits monthly from May to July, with Japan generating 20% of the total traffic. This makes Japan the second-largest source of audience for the site, trailing slightly behind the United States, which accounts for 21%.
