Number of people arrested in the sex industry in Japan 2015-2023
In 2023, the number of people arrested for violations of the anti-prostitution law in the Japanese sex industry amounted to 381.
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.