I heard the Anti-Prostitution Act mentioned on TV and started wondering: does papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) fall under it too?
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I’m worried that it might, since I receive money in exchange for an intimate relationship.
The person I’m currently seeing is married, so I’m afraid that could make the situation even more serious.
If both people are adults, is it okay? Or does it become prostitution as soon as money is involved?
👤Asked byGuest👩GenderFemale🎂20s👑Member of another dating club
You’re feeling anxious, huh? I get the sense there are plenty of things you should be much more worried about.
For starters, try reading the relevant provisions of the Anti-Prostitution Act:
**Article 2:** Under this law, “prostitution” means having sexual intercourse with an unspecified person in exchange for compensation, or with the promise of compensation.
**(Prohibition of Prostitution)**
**Article 3:** No person may engage in prostitution or become the other party to it.
**(注意 on Application)**
**Article 4:** In applying this law, care must be taken not to unjustly infringe upon the rights of citizens.
Reading Articles 2 and 3 might make you nervous, but there are no penalties attached to them. What’s more, Article 4 goes out of its way to make that clear. “The rights of citizens” means the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. In other words, my amateur understanding is that citizens’ rights take precedence over the Anti-Prostitution Act.
In the first place, criminal penalties can only be imposed for things set out in the Six Codes. That’s why you don’t get the death penalty for shoplifting—I learned that from Professor Yumi back in college.
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They’re cracking down on the growing number of women soliciting on the street in places like Shinjuku’s Kabukicho and under the Glico sign in Namba, Osaka.
But under the law, only the women selling sex are punished, while the men buying it face no penalties. That seems strange. In response to questions from lawmakers, the Prime Minister apparently only said that regulations on the buyers’ side would also be tightened.
So this is really about the problems surrounding unregulated, independent street solicitation and prostitution.
The forms of prostitution that have traditionally been managed by the authorities will probably remain as they are. More precisely, places like soaplands, delivery health services, Shinchi, and even papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) claim to be providing opportunities to meet people rather than prostitution itself, so they likely won’t face any particularly strict new regulations.
The reason all sorts of problems arise with street solicitors is that they aren’t managed by the authorities. They also look bad and can worsen public safety in the surrounding area.
If the entire sex industry were made illegal, it would simply operate underground as a black-market business. The government probably won’t impose absolute, ironclad restrictions, since that would likely make public safety even worse and merely turn the industry into a source of funding for organized crime.
So, questioner—and Fuu—let’s continue enjoying papa-katsu without worrying.
Even if papa-katsu were somehow cracked down on and banned, this is the internet age. Someone would use a loophole to offer something similar online under a different name. Probably, anyway… who knows.
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The Anti-Prostitution Act isn’t a newly created law.
The point of this news is that they’re considering tougher penalties for the people who pay.
Universe Club itself would only be investigated if it were suspected of facilitating organized prostitution.
So I don’t think this tightening of the penalties is directly related to it.
That said, there’s no denying that these activities exist in a gray area, so I believe people should act at their own risk.
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With other dating clubs, there may be a risk of running afoul of prostitution laws, but with an operation as strict about compliance as Universe Club, the chances of being arrested are virtually zero.
If they’re going to crack down on papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), I wish they’d crack down on pachinko instead.
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Regarding the Prostitution Prevention Act, which prohibits prostitution while imposing penalties only on the seller’s actions—such as soliciting or loitering for customers in public—Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated at the House of Representatives Budget Committee on the 11th that she would “instruct the Minister of Justice to conduct the necessary review” regarding the need to punish the buyer as well.
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Is this what you’re referring to?
Regardless of whether papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) constitutes prostitution, there are currently no penalties, so worrying about it is premature in the first place.
The points to be careful about are:
1. Don’t commit fraud—don’t take money from your papa (a male supporter) by making up a false story, such as claiming you need tuition when you’re not attending school or saying you need money to repay a loan when you don’t have any debt.
2. The risk of dealing with a married person—as mentioned in the question, if you do papa-katsu with a married person, their spouse may demand compensation from you. It’s best to avoid married people, or at the very least, ask the other person to leave a LINE exchange such as, “Are you married?” “No, I’m single.” Even then, if you were sued, you would still have to pay legal fees.
Legally, those are the only two points.
If you’re underage, the other party may be punished under a youth protection ordinance, but being an adult doesn’t automatically mean everything is fine.
Incidentally, prostitution is defined as “having sexual intercourse with an unspecified person in exchange for compensation or an agreement to receive compensation.” So payment must be involved, but the mere fact that money is involved does not automatically make it prostitution. Couples sometimes give each other money or presents, too.
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If you genuinely like the person and choose to do it, who can say—and it’s legal. No one, not even the police, can know what’s in your heart.
Besides, if you keep it quiet and discreet, you’re not going to get arrested. The people who get caught are the ones bragging about making a fortune over SMS.
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Please ask a legal professional about matters like that. You won’t get an accurate answer by asking someone who isn’t a legal expert. I recommend consulting a lawyer.
That said, Universe Club’s policy is to operate while consulting with its legal counsel and maintaining the position that its practices do not violate the law.
Also, soaplands are occasionally arrested in connection with prostitution-related offenses. Most people in Japan think of soaplands as places where men and women pay to have intimate relationships, and these establishments operate with government permission. Yet some are arrested while others are not. This suggests that, even if they operate in similar ways, there are subtle differences between individual establishments, and the police determine whether those details constitute prostitution.
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