Japan moves to penalize prostitution ‘buyers’ amid rampant Kabukicho streetwalking

TOKYO (TR) – A Ministry of Justice expert panel has proposed establishing legal penalties for the “buyers” of prostitution, addressing a long-standing loophole in Japan’s Anti-Prostitution Law that currently only punishes the women selling sex, reports Nippon News Network (Sep. 18).

In Tokyo’s bustling Kabukicho nightlife district in Shinjuku Ward, the practice of young women standing on the streets waiting for customers — known locally as kyakumachi — has become a highly visible issue. Reporters on the scene observed solitary young women routinely approached by men on the street before disappearing together into nearby love hotels.

Under the current Anti-Prostitution Law, it is illegal for the “seller” to solicit or wait for customers on the street, but there are no provisions to punish the men who approach them to buy sex.

On Thursday, following parliamentary debates over this legal disparity, a Ministry of Justice panel compiled a report recommending that penalties finally be established for customers who solicit women on the street.

Prostitutes regularly seek customers in the Okubo Park area of Kabukicho (X)

One 19-year-old woman standing in Kabukicho told reporters she services three to four men a day, sometimes raking in over 2 million yen a month. She revealed that she was coerced into the illicit trade by a deadbeat boyfriend.

“He was unemployed, essentially a freeloader,” she said. “I really loved him, but he suddenly pushed me away and said, ‘If you don’t sell your body, we’re breaking up.’ So I started doing it.”

Despite knowing the risks of arrest, she continues to stand on the street. “I’m saving up money for moving expenses and plastic surgery. Once you know how much you can earn, you end up relying on it,” she confessed.

When reporters confronted a man in his 20s who was seen approaching women, he admitted he was negotiating. “I was just asking how much they charge,” he said.

When asked about the impending legal changes targeting buyers, the man admitted the threat of arrest would change his habits. “I think it would be better to just go to a legal establishment. Considering the risks, I’d rather go somewhere proper than get caught.”

However, those working on the streets remain skeptical that criminalizing the buyers will eradicate the illicit trade.

“Even after the regulations are tightened, I think men will still come,” one streetwalker noted. “The activity will just move to places out of plain sight.”

The Ministry of Justice is expected to move forward with drafting amendments to the Anti-Prostitution Law based on the panel’s findings.

Published in Crime , News and Tokyo

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东京（TR）——据日本新闻网（9月18日）报道，日本法务省专家小组提议对嫖娼“买家”设立法律处罚，以解决日本《反卖淫法》中长期存在的漏洞，该法目前只惩罚卖淫的女性。

在东京新宿区繁华的歌舞伎町夜生活区，年轻女性在街头招揽顾客（当地称为“kyakumachi”）的现象已成为一个备受关注的问题。现场记者观察到，经常有年轻女性独自一人在街上被男性搭讪，随后两人一同消失在附近的情侣酒店。

根据现行的反卖淫法，卖淫者在街头招揽顾客或等待顾客是违法的，但对于接近她们购买性服务的男性，却没有任何惩罚措施。

周四，在议会就这一法律差异进行辩论后，司法部的一个小组编写了一份报告，建议最终对在街头招揽妇女的顾客制定处罚措施。

妓女经常在歌舞伎町大久保公园一带招揽顾客（X）

一名19岁的女子站在歌舞伎町，告诉记者她每天接待三到四名男子，有时一个月能赚到超过200万日元。她透露，自己是被一个游手好闲的男友胁迫从事这种非法交易的。

“他失业了，基本上就是个游手好闲的人，”她说。“我真的很爱他，但他突然疏远了我，说：‘如果你不卖身，我们就分手。’所以我就开始卖身了。”

尽管明知被捕的风险，她还是继续站在街头。“我在攒钱搬家和做整形手术。一旦你知道自己能挣多少钱，最终就会依赖它，”她坦白道。

当记者上前质问一名20多岁、被目击接近女性的男子时，他承认自己是在讨价还价。“我只是问问她们收费多少，”他说。

当被问及即将出台的针对买家的法律变更时，该男子承认，被捕的威胁会改变他的习惯。“我觉得最好还是去合法的场所。考虑到风险，我宁愿去正规的地方，也不想被抓。”

然而，那些在街头从事毒品交易的人仍然怀疑，将买家定罪能否根除非法交易。

“即使监管收紧，我认为男人还是会来，”一位妓女说道。“只是活动会转移到一些不那么显眼的地方。”

预计司法部将根据专家组的调查结果，着手起草反卖淫法修正案。

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