LITTLE TOKYO : Businessman Arrested in Prostitution Case

The owner of a Little Tokyo graphic design firm has been arrested on suspicion of running a prostitution ring catering to Japanese-speaking businessmen.

Yoshifumi Koike, 34, of Monterey Park was arrested by Los Angeles police vice detectives after a two-month investigation triggered by a tip.

Koike, who posted $25,000 bail after his arrest at his firm, Zero Graphics, will be arraigned in Los Angeles Municipal Court on pandering charges Oct. 27. He faces three years in prison and possible deportation if convicted, police said.

Using a cellular telephone and a pager, Koike allegedly ran an escort service called Paradise, which he advertised in Japanese-language newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Detectives said he hired 20 Japanese-speaking young women, most of whom live in the Los Angeles area on student visas, to meet clients in hotel rooms for $200 per hour.

Cultural and language barriers have traditionally made it difficult for police to infiltrate such rings, but investigators used two undercover reserve officers who were fluent in Japanese and familiar with Japanese etiquette, Detective Bill Spradley said.