Contents of the Ordinance Revision
At its plenary session on July 21, 2021, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly passed by majority vote a revision to the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance on the Sound Upbringing of Youth. The three main points of revision are as follows.
- Tougher penalties: For employing those under 18 to run a JK business or similar operation, the penalty was raised from the previous administrative fine (administrative penalty) to imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to one million yen (criminal punishment).
- Expanded scope of covered operations: In addition to the previous "JK walks" and "JK reflexology," photo-shoot services and private-room hospitality services in general were added as regulated operations.
- Regulation of solicitation: Scouting and solicitation directed at those under 18 were added as a standalone prohibition.
Background to the Revision
From 2020 onward, the JK business changed its forms, with new variants emerging one after another in an attempt to slip through regulation. Gray zones that the previous ordinance could not address—such as the production of sexual content disguised as photo shoots and sexual services at "private-room cafés"—had been expanding.
The Metropolitan Police Department's Juvenile Development Division had requested the revision, saying that "the ordinance has failed to keep up with reality," and this revision was made in response to that request.
Ripple Effects Nationwide
Following Tokyo's ordinance revision, Osaka Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, and others have shown signs of considering similar regulatory tightening. Experts note that "the current situation, in which regulatory standards differ from region to region, is problematic, and unified legislation at the national level is needed."
This article was compiled based on publicly available information.