Justice ministry panel proposes penalizing prostitution buyers amid foreign tourist influx in Kabukicho

TOKYO (TR) – A Ministry of Justice expert panel has proposed making it a punishable offense for customers to solicit prostitution, a move welcomed by local officials battling a surge of foreign sex tourists in Shinjuku Ward’s Kabukicho red-light district, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Aug. 25).

According to the draft report released on August 24, the new measures would target the “buyers” in illicit sex trades. Officials in Shinjuku Ward have heavily advocated for the change, citing an urgent need for effective countermeasures against a growing influx of foreigners visiting the area specifically to purchase sex.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the streets surrounding Kabukicho’s Okubo Park have become notorious for women standing and waiting for customers. The phenomenon has been broadcast globally across social media, drawing a wave of foreign nationals seeking to buy sex or simply spectate. Officials note that the language barrier between the women and foreign tourists has frequently led to financial disputes and trouble on the streets.

Okubo Park in Kabukicho is common location for prostitutes to wait for customers (X)

“Greater deterrence”

Tokyo Metropolitan Police reported that 112 women were arrested in flagrante delicto around the park last year for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law by waiting for customers. While an intensive police crackdown last August temporarily cleared the park’s immediate perimeter, the illicit activity merely migrated, with women now frequently seen waiting for customers in the adjacent love hotel district.

Fed up with what they describe as a severe deterioration of public morals, local residents and Shinjuku Ward officials have launched joint patrols. Authorities are now blaring warnings through loudspeakers in both Japanese and English, stating: “Buying sex is prohibited by law.”

Hideyuki Asami, deputy counselor of the ward’s crisis management division, presented the grim reality of the streets to the expert panel during a hearing in July.

“Even with the measures we have taken, it hasn’t led to a fundamental solution,” Asami told reporters. “We are hoping for a response with greater deterrence and effectiveness, including the penalization of solicitation by the buying side.”

Acknowledging the underlying social issues, Asami noted that many of the women standing on the streets are driven by severe economic hardship. “We want to collaborate with relevant agencies to connect them with welfare support,” he added.

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东京（TR）——据《读卖新闻》（8月25日）报道，日本司法部的一个专家小组提议将嫖客招嫖行为定为犯罪行为，此举受到了正在新宿区歌舞伎町红灯区与外国性游客激增作斗争的地方官员的欢迎。

根据8月24日公布的报告草案，新措施将针对非法性交易中的“买家”。新宿区官员大力倡导这项改革，他们认为，由于越来越多的外国人专程前往该地区购买性服务，亟需采取有效措施予以应对。

自新冠疫情爆发以来，歌舞伎町大久保公园周边街道因女性站街揽客而臭名昭著。这一现象通过社交媒体迅速传播至全球，吸引了大批外国游客前来寻欢作乐或只是围观。官方指出，女性与外国游客之间的语言障碍经常导致街头发生经济纠纷和骚乱。

歌舞伎町的大久保公园是妓女等候顾客的常见地点（X）

“更强的威慑力”

东京警视厅报告称，去年有112名女性因在公园附近等候顾客而违反《反卖淫法》被当场逮捕。虽然去年8月警方开展的大规模打击行动暂时清除了公园周边地区的非法活动，但这些非法活动只是转移到了其他地方，现在经常可以看到女性在附近的爱情旅馆区等候顾客。

由于对当地居民所描述的公共道德严重败坏感到忍无可忍，新宿区官员和当地居民已开始联合巡逻。当局现在正通过日语和英语的扩音器播放警告：“嫖娼违法。”

7 月的一次听证会上，区危机管理部门副顾问浅见秀幸向专家小组介绍了街头的严峻现实。

“即便我们采取了这些措施，也未能从根本上解决问题，”浅见告诉记者。“我们希望采取更有威慑力和更有效的应对措施，包括惩罚买方招揽卖淫的行为。”

浅见指出，街头流浪的女性大多面临严重的经济困境，这反映了她们所处的社会问题。“我们希望与相关机构合作，为她们提供福利援助。”他补充道。

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