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

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

News

Man Arrested for Running Unlicensed 'Delivery Health' Service — Allegedly Operated for Years in Osaka's Minami District; Police Conduct Sweep

On the 10th, Osaka Prefectural Police arrested a 47-year-old man from Chuo Ward, Osaka City, on suspicion of violating the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act (fuei-ho) for operating a non-store-based sex business without notifying authorities. The man is believed to have run an unlicensed 'delivery health' (out-call) service for at least three years, and police are continuing their investigation with an eye toward building cases against additional individuals.

Elon February 10, 2020

News

Illegal Scout Group Leaders Arrested for Allegedly Steering Women to Sex Businesses — Tokyo's Kabukicho

On the 17th, the Public Safety Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested three leaders of an illegal scouting group based in Kabukicho on suspicion of violating the Employment Security Act. The group allegedly recruited women off the street and steered them to sex businesses in Tokyo, collecting ongoing referral fees known as 'scout-back' payments. The major early-2020 crackdown sent shockwaves through the industry.

Elon January 17, 2020