**Light of Purification and Shadow of the Underground: Transformation of Kabukicho Public Morals in the Early 2000s**.
In the early 2000s, Kabukicho underwent a major transformation with the announcement of a cleanup operation: in April 2003, the Metropolitan Police Department, under the leadership of Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, conducted a roundup of Korean and Chinese-owned brothels, date clubs, illegal touts, and even gang offices. Behind this was the "Parisienne Incident" in September 2002, the shooting death of a gang leader by a Chinese-affiliated organization and the chain of retaliation that followed, which made public safety in the city a social issue.
The cleanup operation removed the neon lights from the main streets and also destroyed the health clubs, cabarets, and lounges that had been operating legally. As a result, the adult entertainment business shifted from its heyday as a storefront business to an era of underground and diversified business, with the spread of non-storefront esthetic salons operated in apartment buildings and illegal businesses based in Internet cafes. Scouts filled this void, calling out to women on the streets and patching them up at sex stores, where they earned introduction fees and sales rebates.
On the other hand, the recession following the bursting of the bubble economy and the expansion of non-regular employment lured young women into night work. Many of them moved to Tokyo from the countryside to work to earn money for school fees and living expenses, and many of them got into debt with hosts. The lure of high income in a short period of time was accompanied by the possibility of danger and exploitation.
Kabukicho's sex scene became a stage for the intersection of security measures, economic conditions, and changes in urban culture during this period. The shadows illuminated by the light of purification went underground and continued to pulse.
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