Real field reports and columns on Japan's adult-entertainment world
News
On the 16th, police busted an organization that had been brokering prostitution using the group-chat function of social media, arresting seven people including the leading offenders. The group had tried to evade investigation by using the 'closed space' of group chats, but the reality was uncovered through analysis of communication records.
News
On the 11th, the National Police Agency carried out a nationwide simultaneous investigation into illegal scout organizations in the spring of 2026, announcing that it had arrested 51 people, about 40% more than in the same period the previous year. Several people connected to 'Natural' were among them, and the investigation aimed at the complete dismantling of the organization is reaching its climax.
News
On the 12th, the Tokyo District Court sentenced the ringleader of a wide-area human-trafficking organization to 12 years in prison. He is said to have sexually exploited more than 50 people in and outside Japan, and the presiding judge condemned the crimes as 'extremely vicious offenses that trampled on the dignity of the victims.
News
The National Police Agency announced that, as the first simultaneous crackdown of 2026, it busted 19 illegal adult-entertainment operations nationwide. With a revision of the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act also slated to take effect this year, authorities laid out an annual policy, stating that 'in 2026 we will tighten enforcement even further.
News
The National Police Agency released a report summarizing 2025 trends in adult-entertainment-related crime and its outlook for 2026. While the move toward organized crime and internationalization is accelerating, legislative measures such as the AV law and ordinance revisions are achieving certain results. With a new digital-regulation law slated to take effect in 2026, the year is expected to be a further turning point.
News
On the 12th, the Tokyo District Court handed down guilty verdicts to three executives of the illegal scout group 'Natural.' The leading offender was given an actual prison term of three years and six months, while the trial of the group's leader, defendant Hiroaki Obata, was carried over to the following year.
News
On the 15th, a coalition of adult-entertainment industry associations announced the establishment of a third-party review body to prevent organized-crime groups and quasi-organized-crime groups (hangure) from entering or becoming involved in the industry. The body will review the ties of member outlets' operators and associates to antisocial forces and will operate a system for granting and revoking a certification mark.
News
On the 10th, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested a total of 35 members of organizations that used host-club tab debts to funnel women into the sex trade, on suspicion of violating the Anti-Prostitution Act and other laws. For the first time, a structure in which host clubs and adult-entertainment establishments 'conspired' to exploit women was built into a case.
News
Under the direction of the National Police Agency, police in all 47 prefectures simultaneously carried out searches and protective operations targeting the sexual exploitation of minors. In an intensive 48-hour operation, more than 50 underage victims were taken into protection, and more than 100 people involved were arrested or referred to prosecutors.
News
On the 16th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly revised its ordinance on adult-entertainment special businesses, introducing for the first time rules on customer acquisition using the internet and social media. The revision bans online advertising and customer acquisition conducted without notification and strengthens the authority to impose administrative sanctions on violators. It takes effect in September.