Japan Criminalizes Paying for Sex: Experts Warn of Unintended Consequences
The Justice Ministry is preparing to revise Japan’s 70-year-old anti-prostitution law, which currently only penalizes sellers, to include punishment for sex buyers, addressing a significant legal imbalance. A panel of experts will convene in February to deliberate on these changes, potentially including increased penalties. This reform movement gained traction following a recent human trafficking case involving a minor, highlighting concerns that the existing law disproportionately targets victims by failing to criminalize the demand side of prostitution.
John Q. Hosedrinker