Fūei Law Reform (Final Part) — Once-Noisy Pleasure Districts Silenced: The Law vs. the Sex Industry
The second part of a series by adult entertainment journalist Akira Ikoma, tracing the history of amendments to the 1948 Entertainment Business Act. The law, which has increasingly tightened regulations on the adult entertainment industry over the years, raises the question: was it truly an enemy of the industry?
The word dance, which had been regulated since the postwar period, was removed
In the 2015 amendment to the Entertainment Business Act, the term dance was deleted from the articles that had long regulated dance businesses.
Taking into account the diversification of citizens’ lifestyles and the changing public perception of dance, dance halls, which had long been subject to regulation, were no longer classified as adult entertainment businesses.
This change was driven in part by a growing movement against club regulations. It began after a club operator in Osaka was arrested in April 2012 for allegedly violating the Entertainment Business Act. Advocates argued that “the dances performed in clubs today are not the same as those the Act was originally intended to regulate to protect public morals” and that “the social context has changed since the Act was first established; dance is now widely accepted and should not be subject to such regulation.”
As a result of this movement, the revised Act was enacted on June 17, 2015. The law established a new category, “Specified Recreational Food and Drink Establishments,” to regulate clubs providing both dance and alcohol. Nighttime operations such as clubs and discos became subject to a permit system, with restrictions on location, hours of operation, and access for those under 18.
Clubs where the interior lighting is at least 10 lux, and which serve food and drink including alcohol while patrons dance to music, are in principle allowed to operate 24 hours. However, local governments can restrict operating hours and areas by ordinance—for example, in Tokyo, operations are prohibited from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Additionally, operators of host clubs, cabarets, and specified recreational food and drink establishments such as clubs and discos are required to implement “measures to prevent nuisance behavior by customers around the premises” and to “maintain a log of complaint handling.” This means that even after customers leave, if there is noise or disturbances around the establishment, it must be stopped, and any complaints handled must be recorded. The excuse “We don’t know what happens after they leave” is not acceptable.
Concerns over ambiguous definitions
Sports bars and darts bars found themselves in a difficult position. If a sports bar employee cheers on customers to liven up the atmosphere, it could be considered providing entertainment, and if customers participate in activities like competing against staff at a darts bar, it could be considered providing hospitality. There are strong voices pointing out the ambiguity in the definitions of entertainment and hospitality under the new law.
Prior to this amendment, in November 2012, the National Police Agency revised the Enforcement Order and Enforcement Regulations of the Entertainment Business Act. Previously, only dance schools certified by two social dance organizations were exempt from regulations, but after the revision, the doors were opened to other dance organizations, such as those for Argentine tango.
Currently, the domestic dance market continues to grow exceptionally despite declining birthrates, showing a steady upward trend. In hindsight, the review of the Entertainment Business Act may have been inevitable.
Another significant change was the shift in the permitted start time for early-morning operations of adult entertainment establishments from sunrise to 6 a.m. As a result, after the new law took effect on June 23, 2016, operations strictly timed to sunrise became impossible. There had been demand for services immediately after sunrise, such as people coming straight from all-night drinking or stopping by before starting work early in the morning. The elimination of this business practice, which had existed for about 30 years since the 1985 revision of the Entertainment Business Act, was regrettable.
The 2025 amendment: a sign of the host club bubble bursting?
This year, 2025, marked the first major revision in a decade, prompted by issues surrounding malicious host clubs and scouts. The law now bans romantic-entertainment operations and adds criminal penalties for forcing customers into prostitution or work in sex establishments to collect accounts receivable and scout-back payments. Penalties for unlicensed operations have also been strengthened, with the maximum fine for corporations raised to 300 million yen—150 times the previous limit.
When the new law went into effect on June 28, it caused a major stir in the industry. Many establishments operating in gray zones, such as girls’ bars, concept cafes, and men’s esthetic salons, rushed to comply, and more stores obtained licenses under the sex-business law.
Host clubs were likely the most affected. Terms like “Number One in Reservations,” “Legend,” and “100 million Player” were classified as exaggerated advertising or misleading expressions and banned, resulting in the blacking out of the signboards that had represented the club’s identity—a possible sign that the host club bubble, ongoing since the 2010s, was about to burst.
Sex establishments such as soaplands and health services had already begun measures to sever ties with scouts ahead of enforcement. To comply with the ban on scout-back payments, many removed registered women who had joined via scouts.
Among men’s esthetic salons specifically mentioned in the amendment, therapists have shifted to sex-related esthetic services or moved to cabaret clubs and lounges out of fear of raids. Job ads encouraging work in legally protected and safe workplaces have also increased.
Going forward, it is expected that industries operating in gray zones will increasingly adopt an itinerant model. Without a physical storefront, they attract fewer complaints from local residents and are less likely to be raided compared to traditional store-based operations. Travel-type services had already emerged in pink salons, concept cafes, and men’s esthetic salons before the amendment, with men’s esthetic salons seeing an increase in this model after the new law came into effect.
Is the Entertainment Business Control Law an enemy of the sex industry?
Looking back on more than 70 years of amendments to the Entertainment Business Control Law, it is clear that the sex industry has responded flexibly even as regulations tightened—no-panty cafes transformed into store-based health services, and hybrid hotels combining hotel delivery health (hotehel) and delivery health (deriheru) appeared. The industry overcame crises by creating new business types such as teleclubs and delivery health, and by using creative strategies like sunrise operations and free information centers.
Although the law has consistently strengthened regulations since its enactment, amendments can also be seen as opportunities for store owners. Only stores that survive strict regulations persist, while malicious establishments are likely to be eliminated. Even in this year’s amendment, competent managers will likely turn the stricter rules to their advantage and navigate the changes skillfully and persistently.
Among what has been lost due to amendments, the author feels the greatest regret is the pink flyer. Once criticized for spoiling the cityscape, to the author, these flyers were a form of art. He fondly remembers being captivated by their glamorous designs, admiring clever catchphrases, and collecting them. While reporting across entertainment districts nationwide, finding a flyer would make him excitedly slip it into his pocket.
Another regret is the decline of store-based sex establishments due to stricter regulations, which has purified the sleazy atmosphere of entertainment districts. The hustle and bustle of Shinjuku Kabukicho and Osaka Umeda around the early 2000s was incredible. Nagoya Nishiki boasted even more luxurious store-based health establishments. Gifu Kanazuen was also lively. For those who remember that era, seeing the gradual disappearance of such districts across Japan is sad. The author sincerely hopes that the remaining store-based sex establishments can continue operating as long as possible.
Finally, regarding the historical significance of amendments to the Entertainment Business Control Law: its greatest achievement in Japan’s long history of sex work is legitimizing various types of sex establishments. Before the war, all sex work outside officially licensed red-light districts was illegal, so this represents remarkable progress.
The law did not merely tolerate sex businesses; it regulated and enclosed them under legal oversight, effectively protecting them. Although enforcement intensifies with each amendment—seemingly making the law an enemy of the sex industry—it is in fact a protector.
Thanks to the Entertainment Business Control Law, even though establishments like hotel towers or “chon-no-ma” rooms have mostly disappeared, delivery health and health services still thrive. The law’s existence ensures that people can safely access sexual services at legal establishments, highlighting its significant role in maintaining social order.
References
Teihon Fuzoku Eigyo Torishimari by Yoshikazu Nagai, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2015
Fuuei Tekiseika-ho Handbook by Fuzoku Mondai Kenkyukai, Tachibana Shobo, 2016
Repo Fuuei Ho Kaisei: Odoreru Kuni no Tsukurikata by Ryosuke Kanba, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2015
Odotte wa Ikenai Kuni de, Odori Tsuzukeru Tame ni edited by Ryo Isobe, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2013
Fuzoku Eigyoho Hanrei-shu [Revised] by Hisashi Otsuka, Tachibana Shobo, 2016
Many other books and online sources were also referenced.
Interview, text, and photographs： Akira Ikoma
