Clinics offering treatments such as hair removal and cosmetic surgery are on the rise, especially in urban areas.

But there's also been a corresponding increase in complaints from unhappy customers.

The National Consumer Affairs Center says the number of reports about problems related to beauty treatments has nearly tripled in the past five years.

This woman in Tokyo had a bad experience at a beauty clinic last year.

She had gone there after seeing an ad for a vitamin drip that was claimed to rejuvenate skin.

But immediately after the treatment, she experienced side effects, including severe stomach pain.

Even when my condition got worse, the doctor didn't bother to examine me further.

I wondered if the place was really a medical clinic at all.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was told she might have had a severe allergic reaction.

Many clinics in Japan are operated by medical corporations and headed by doctors.

But others are run by what are called General Incorporated Associations.

These associations can be established simply through registration, and anyone can serve as their director, regardless of medical experience.

They don't require certification by the prefectural government.

Clinics run by such associations only need to meet certain criteria, such as having a managing physician.

NHK conducted a survey of Tokyo's 23 wards and the city of Osaka.

As of the end of last year, there were around 300 beauty clinics run by General Incorporated Associations, a six-fold increase from five years earlier.

More than 60% were offering cosmetic treatments that aren't covered by public health insurance.

Some of them also appeared to be using what's known as name lending, where a doctor is registered as the manager but only occasionally turns up for work.

A man involved in the running of one such clinic says some businesses have been cutting corners.

Some General Incorporated Associations seem to be putting profit first.

As the beauty business expands quickly, it's becoming harder to recruit qualified doctors, and some doctors are lending their names to clinics.

As a general rule, a doctor who serves as manager at a clinic is required to work there full-time, but the reality can be different.

This former staff member worked at a clinic run by a General Incorporated Association that was founded by a restaurant owner.

She says the doctor who served as the clinic's manager only reported to work once a year.

The clinic didn't care about their responsibilities.

They had medical interns working there.

There were no follow-up procedures if a problem occurred.

I often wondered what I'd do if something went wrong.

At multiple clinics that NHK investigated, doctors who were supposed to serve as managers admitted that they weren't doing the job full-time.

Some even said they just wanted to make some money.

A lack of proper oversight has allowed many clinics to bend the rules.

There is no supervisory agency for General Incorporated Associations.

Japan's health ministry conducted its first-ever survey of clinics run by such associations earlier this year.

There still isn't a system to conduct proper follow-up checks once clinics are established.

It's vital for regulators to accurately assess the situation and revise the existing rules or else introduce new ones.

They need to respond to the realities of the industry.

The health ministry plans to set up an expert panel to discuss regulations and how to improve the quality of care.