AM doesn't accept Japanese clients or at least in the past they would reject clients from Japan if they detected that they were Japanese. This may be their way of avoiding the Yakuza. As for licensed and/or paying taxes, I kind of doubt it based on their business practices. However, there are plenty of shops operating in Japan in the same manner AM does, so I think they only get attention from the police if they draw too much attention to themselves.
Example: A licensed shop is required to display a certificate and it should be available for viewing by customers. I requested a photo of a real certificate from a real shop and I'll post it for reference once received. (minus the shop's name and registration number) -- Regular police inspections are required and they can close a shop if there is any slight deviation from the rules. A hotel health shop was closed recently because the police didn't approve of the waiting area of where the girls were made to wait for clients. Delivery health shops have the same rules, but just slightly different due to the nature of the business.
Back to the Yakuza for a moment, we believe they don't target agencies that cater to non-Japanese since that does not impact their business. If the Yakuza get more deeply involved in agencies for foreigners, then I bet you would see some shops disappear. Foreign-owned shops, such as night clubs, eateries and other shop-front stores would be more likely to get a visit from the local turf managers (Yakuza sub-bosses).
We have a number of contacts in the industry and none of them will openly discuss Yakuza issues.
