Real field reports and columns on Japan's adult-entertainment world
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The generation and spread of sexual images using AI deepfake technology is surging, and existing law is reaching the limits of what it can address. The government is accelerating consideration of a new legal framework, and early legislation is being called for from the standpoint of victim protection.
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On the 11th, the National Police Agency announced an operation to dismantle a large illegal sex-industry network with hubs across 11 prefectures. Forty-two people, including leaders and operatives, were arrested, and the organization's total revenue is believed to exceed at least 2 billion yen. The case is drawing attention as one of the largest sex-industry crime busts in recent years.
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A ring leader charged with violating the Anti-Prostitution Act and other offenses for subjecting multiple women, including minors, to managed prostitution was given a severe prison sentence of 10 years by the Tokyo District Court. The presiding judge declared that he 'destroyed the victims' lives to their foundations,' making it one of the heaviest sentences in a similar case in recent years.
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On the 17th, the government submitted to the Diet a bill to amend the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Businesses (the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act). Centered on regulating online customer acquisition in response to digitalization and strengthening penalties for serious violations, the government aims to enact it during the autumn Diet session.
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On the 12th, police authorities carried out simultaneous searches of a Chinese-affiliated and a Vietnamese-affiliated prostitution group in Tokyo and Aichi, arresting a total of 13 people. Both groups used foreign women without valid residence status to provide sexual services, and possible links to international human-trafficking networks are being investigated.
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A predatory scheme in which female customers are made to run up large unpaid tabs at host clubs and then funneled into commercial sex work has become a social problem, prompting police and local governments to coordinate on countermeasures. Many of the victims are women in their twenties, and cases of women being driven into commercial sex work after being psychologically cornered have occurred one after another.
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On the 17th, the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications held the first meeting of a joint study group aimed at legislation to regulate the buying, selling, and brokering of sexual services via social media. Measures are being considered from two angles: obligations imposed on platforms and regulation of users.
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On the 13th, the National Police Agency announced that it had carried out a simultaneous investigation of illegal scouting groups in five cities—Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo—arresting 25 people, including leaders and operatives. The investigation revealed that multiple groups maintained 'subcontracting' and 'cooperative' relationships, forming a nationwide network.
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On the 14th, Osaka and Hyogo prefectural police arrested four leaders of a human-trafficking ring based in Osaka and Kobe. The group is alleged to have lured women from Southeast Asian countries on fraudulent work visas and forced them into commercial sex work. At least 20 women were victimized.
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As its priority enforcement action at the start of the year, the National Police Agency had police in seven prefectures coordinate to conduct simultaneous searches of illegal sex-industry shops and scouting organizations. A total of 23 locations were searched, and 18 people were arrested or referred to prosecutors. The action sent a tense signal through the industry as a 'declaration' of a tough enforcement stance for 2024.