As Yen struggles and poverty rises, Tokyo turns to ‘sex tourism’ to make ends meet

As Japan faces economic challenges, including a weakening yen and rising poverty, its capital city of Tokyo has become a hub for sex tourism. Once celebrated for its economic boom and status as one of the world’s most livable cities, the capital now wrestles with the darker side of its financial struggles.

Yoshihide Tanaka, secretary-general of the Liaison Council Protecting Youths (Seiboren), told This Week in Asia, “Japan has become a poor country.”

Tanaka pointed out that a park near his office has turned into a hotspot for the sex trade. Since the easing of pandemic restrictions, there has been an increase in foreign men frequenting the area.

"Now we are seeing a lot more foreign men," Tanaka said. "They come from many countries. They are white, Asian, and Black—but the majority are Chinese."

This trend overlaps with a growing number of teenagers and women in their early twenties entering the sex industry to make ends meet. Tanaka added, “It’s getting worse. Much worse. There are more kids here and more violence, but our organisation cannot do anything more than we are already doing.”

'A country where foreign men can obtain young women'

Lawmakers have been vocal about the need for regulations to address the issue. Kazunori Yamanoi of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said, “The reality is that Japan has become a country where foreign men can obtain young women and essentially buy sexual services.” Yamanoi added how this issue negatively impacts the international image of Japanese women.

Data from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department shows that in 2023, around 43 per cent of women arrested for street prostitution admitted to entering the trade to fund visits to host clubs and underground male idols. Of those arrested, about 80 per cent were in their 20s, while three were teenagers under 19.

Loophole in law against buying and selling sex for money

While Japanese law criminalises buying and selling sex for money, the ban only applies to penetrative acts. The anti-prostitution law penalises the seller, the woman, with up to six months in prison and fines of up to 10,000 yen (64.67 USD), but not the buyers, leaving a loophole in enforcement.

(With inputs from agencies)