Number of arrested people in the sex industry Japan 2023, by violation type
In 2023, soliciting customers was the violation leading to the overall highest number of 270 arrests in the Japanese sex industry.
The Japanese Prostitution Prevention Law was enacted in 1956 to prohibit sexual intercourse in exchange for payment. While prostitution is officially illegal in Japan, the domestic adult entertainment industry took advantage of legal loopholes to work around this ban by, for example, offering non-coital services or sexual acts not legally defined as "intercourse."
Businesses falling under the category of adult entertainment include, among others, adult-only bathhouses, strip clubs, massage services, love hotels as well as video- and phone-based services.