Ignoring Closure Requests and the Coordinated Crackdown
During the closure-request period under the state of emergency (April to May 2020), police stepped up surveillance of sex establishments that kept operating in defiance of the requests. Through mid-May, coordinated crackdowns were carried out in major cities in the Kanto and Kansai regions, and a total of six establishments were cracked down on for violations of the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act (fuei-ho) and other offenses.
Of the establishments targeted, three involved operating a sex business without notification or a license, two involved late-night operation in breach of license conditions, and one involved child labor, namely employing a 17-year-old woman.
Details of the Crackdown
At one establishment in Saitama Prefecture, the operator changed the business name and marketed it on social media while feigning closure. In reality, two workers were kept on standby at all times to provide out-call service. The operator, a 42-year-old man, said he "didn't know it was subject to the requests," but he was arrested on the grounds that there was clearly ongoing business activity.
At another establishment in Osaka Prefecture, a minor was discovered among the workers. In addition to the provisions of the fuei-ho, this may also violate the Child Welfare Act, and police are pursuing a separate investigation.
The Gravity of "Pandemic Profiteering"
An investigator noted: "In the midst of the emergency of an epidemic, while there are operators sincerely complying with the requests, there are without doubt operators trying to expand illegal operations by taking advantage of the reduced foot traffic."
Under the state of emergency, foot traffic in entertainment districts plummeted, and police patrols tended to thin out due to infection-control measures—conditions that may have given some illegal operators an opening.
Police Policy Going Forward
The National Police Agency signaled its stance on this coordinated crackdown, saying it would "respond strictly to illegal operations that exploit the pandemic." Prefectural police are also strengthening online monitoring of illegal customer solicitation based on tip-offs, and they plan to continue monitoring solicitation conducted through social media and websites.
This article was compiled based on publicly available information and interviews with investigators.