Industry News — Crime, Regulation & Trends | A Guide to the Japanese Sex Industry

Year-End Sweep: 16 Illegal Sex-Industry Operations Caught Across Kanto — Police Launch Special December Crackdown

To coincide with the year-end high-alert period, authorities carried out a coordinated crackdown on sex-industry-related businesses across the seven prefectures of the greater Kanto region. In the coordinated raids conducted in late December, 16 illegal operations were confirmed, and 21 operators and others were arrested or referred to prosecutors. Despite the pandemic, illegal businesses appear to have ramped up activity in anticipation of year-end demand.

Elon December 21, 2020

News

Foreign Women Put to Work in Sex Industry via Forged Residency Status — 8 Arrested in Tokyo and Osaka

Authorities announced on the 16th the arrest of eight brokers and others on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control Act and the Anti-Prostitution Act for forging residency status to put foreign women to work in the sex industry. Many of the victims were Asian women who, soon after arriving in Japan, had their passports taken and were left unable to escape.

Elon November 16, 2020

News

Prison Term in Human-Trafficking Case — Defendant Gets 5 Years — Tokyo District Court Calls It 'Organized and Malicious

The Tokyo District Court on the 7th sentenced a defendant charged with trafficking multiple women to force them into the sex industry to five years in prison. The presiding judge condemned the case as 'an organized and malicious crime that gravely violated the dignity of the victims,' handing down a harsh sentence close to the six years sought by prosecutors.

Elon October 07, 2020

News

Wide-Area Prostitution Ring Dismantled — Tokyo-Based, Nationwide Operation, 10 Arrested — Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police Department announced on the 11th that it had carried out a crackdown on a wide-area prostitution ring based in Tokyo and operating nationwide, arresting 10 people, including ringleaders, on suspicion of violating the Anti-Prostitution Act (managed prostitution) and other offenses. The group had been active for more than three years, with an estimated 100-plus female victims.

Elon September 11, 2020

News

Police Bust Social-Media Prostitution Ring — More Than 20 Victims, Including Teenagers

Authorities announced on the 19th that they had broken up a group using social-media platforms such as Twitter to draw women into prostitution, arresting two ringleaders — a man and a woman — on suspicion of violating the Anti-Prostitution Act (procuring). The victims included teenage girls, and police had stepped up their investigation given the impact on minors.

Elon August 19, 2020

News

Operators of 'JK Business' Arrested for Allegedly Coercing Sexual Services from High School Girls — Tokyo

On the 14th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested two men in Tokyo on suspicion of violating the Child Welfare Act (causing a person to engage in obscene acts) for running a 'JK business' that used high school girls to provide sexual services. The victims are believed to include several high school students, and police are working to uncover the full scope of related establishments.

Elon July 14, 2020

News

Ties Between Sex-Business Operation and Organized Crime; 165 Exclusion Measures Nationwide — National Police Agency Publishes Report

On the 15th, the National Police Agency published a report compiling its findings on ties between the sex industry and organized crime groups. Cases of sex-business operation or profit provision involving organized-crime figures confirmed nationwide in 2019 reached 165, up roughly 10 percent year-on-year. While organized-crime exclusion ordinances continue to be put in place, tracking increasingly sophisticated money movement remains a challenge.

Elon June 15, 2020

News

Sex Establishments That Ignored Closure Requests Cracked Down On; Police Conduct Sweep — Six Violations Confirmed

Six sex establishments that kept operating despite closure requests issued under the state of emergency were cracked down on by police. All were found to involve unlicensed operation or violations of the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act, prompting calls for strict punishment of what was described as 'unscrupulous businesses exploiting the pandemic.

Elon May 20, 2020

News

State of Emergency Brings Closure Requests for Sex Establishments; Industry Pushes Back Over Exclusion from Compensation

Under the state of emergency declared on April 7, seven prefectures including Tokyo issued closure requests to many types of business, including sex establishments. But sex establishments were excluded from eligibility for cooperation payments, drawing strong criticism from industry groups and operators who called it 'discriminatory treatment.

Elon April 10, 2020

News

COVID-19 Hits the Sex Industry; Confusion Persists Over Voluntary-Closure Requests and Their Legal Basis

As the novel coronavirus spread, prefectures across Japan began asking customer-facing businesses, including sex establishments, to voluntarily suspend operations. With the requests carrying no legal force, industry groups were divided in their response, and many establishments kept operating with no clear standard for infection control. Experts called for a clear legal framework.

Elon March 18, 2020