Japan moves for the first time to criminalize paying for sex

by YUKI NIKAIDO
January 30, 2026

The Kabukicho entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Jan. 13, 2022 (Asahi Photo

The Justice Ministry is moving toward revising Japan's anti-prostitution law to punish the sex buyers, addressing a legal imbalance that has only targeted the sellers for 70 years, according to government sources.

A panel of experts will be established as early as February to discuss the changes, which could also include increasing the penalties.

The anti-prostitution law was enacted in 1956 with the aim of preventing "prostitution," defined as exchanging money for sexual intercourse with an unspecified partner, on the grounds such as "corrupting public morals."

However, the sexual act itself is not punished. Instead, it criminalizes actions such as facilitating and managing prostitution.

Sellers caught soliciting or waiting for customers in public places can face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to 20,000 yen ($130).

However, the law does not punish the customers.

While paying for sex with a minor is already illegal under the law on punishment of child prostitution and child pornography, and the child welfare law, there is no penalty for buying sex from an adult.

The push for reform gained momentum after a human trafficking case in November, where a 12-year-old Thai girl was rescued from a Tokyo "massage parlor."

The case prompted calls for legal reform in the Diet.

In an extraordinary Diet session last autumn, the discussion turned to the lack of a provision in the anti-prostitution law to punish the "buying side," leading to a series of calls for legal reform, with comments such as, "There is a distorted structure where only women who are forced into selling sex are arrested."

In response, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, "Taking into account recent social conditions, we will conduct the necessary review on the state of regulations related to prostitution."

She instructed Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi to conduct a review, and the Justice Ministry had been investigating the operational status of the law.