Police in Tokyo have arrested a man on suspicion of forcing a female customer of a so-called host club into prostitution.

Investigative sources say Akiba Takuya had worked as a male drinking companion at the night club in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district that caters to female customers. Male companions who work at such clubs are called "hosts" in Japan.

Akiba allegedly told the woman in her 20s she owed him about 10 million yen, or about 77,000 dollars, for what he called the deferred cost of drinking and dining at the club.

He reportedly made her work for sex trade shops in Tokyo and five other prefectures as she couldn't repay the money.

A support group for female sex workers says it has received numerous complaints from women who patronized male host clubs. The group says the women identified sex trade shops where they were forced to work to pay off large debts.