Press Briefing on the "Study Group on the Regulation of Prostitution"

From 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11,

PAPS will hold a press briefing on the Ministry of Justice "Study Group on the Regulation of Prostitution".

Date and time: Monday, May 11, 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Venue: Room 103, House of Councillors Members' Office Building (first 50 attendees)

Host: PAPS (nonprofit organization)

Intended audience: members of the media, Diet members and their staff, and people engaged in supporting victims of sexual exploitation

Registration form:https://forms.gle/Dfm96mRQAscYy3AL8

PAPS took part in a hearing at the second meeting of the Ministry of Justice "Study Group on the Regulation of Prostitution", where we presented the realities of the sex trade as seen from the support field, the problems with the current Anti-Prostitution Act, and the need for legal reform.

On the ground, many people—including young women—are pushed into selling sex against a backdrop of poverty, abuse, isolation, unstable housing, host club debts, and mental health difficulties. Yet the current law is structured mainly to punish solicitation by the "seller", and does not adequately address the "buyer's" demand or the structures of exploitation.

In recent years, moreover, these streets have increasingly become a destination for sex tourism by foreign visitors to Japan. On social media and video platforms, alongside words like "TACHINBO" and "Okubo Park", information circulates suggesting that sexual services can be bought cheaply by approaching young women on the street.

The reality is that women compelled to sell sex amid poverty and isolation in Japan are being consumed by sex buyers from overseas as "cheap to buy".

PAPS believes it is necessary to connect those involved to support rather than punish them, and to shift to a system that addresses the demand for buying sex. In this briefing, based on the hearing and the materials we submitted, we will explain what is happening on the front lines of sexual exploitation and why legal reform is needed.

We look forward to your participation and coverage.