Why are mistress clubs illegal while dating clubs are legal? Are dating clubs subject to law enforcement as well?

Where’s your source? Well, it’s probably just misinformation. I’m not a legal expert, so this is strictly my personal opinion, but: Soliciting prostitution is illegal. Dating clubs, on the other hand, merely introduce people to each other. Since they aren’t arranging prostitution, they aren’t illegal. With delivery services and soaplands, too, the official explanation is that two people who met through the business happened to engage in an act with mutual consent. In other words, the business didn’t arrange it. If the law changed and the sex industry itself—including soaplands and delivery services—were banned, men would have no outlet for their sexual urges, which would lead to more sex crimes. So it couldn’t simply be eliminated. If soaplands and delivery services can’t be eliminated, dating clubs probably can’t be either. Basically, I think things will continue as they are, with soaplands, delivery services, and dating clubs remaining technically legal. Suppose the authorities changed the law and shut down the current system—soapland businesses, delivery services, dating clubs like Univa, and so on. The underground would simply start operating them in secret because there’s money to be made, haha. They’d become a source of income for the yakuza, haha. Then the authorities couldn’t keep track of them, regulation would become impossible, and chaos and crime would actually increase. It’s easy to imagine, so I doubt that will happen. That’s just my personal opinion, anyway. As long as the law doesn’t change before I’m no longer able to perform, I’m fine with it, haha.

> “Mistress clubs are illegal.” Where exactly is that written? Please show me the legal basis. Are you perhaps referring to the representative of Yūgurezoku(?) being arrested years ago? If so, the former president of H〇ppy Mail was also arrested, so by that logic, dating sites and matchmaking apps would be illegal too. But I don’t think many people see it that way. Ultimately, I think the dating apps themselves, dating sites themselves, and mistress clubs themselves aren’t illegal. Rather, people are arrested when illegal activity takes place through them. To put it another way, presidents of ordinary corporations are sometimes arrested too, right? Even major companies like T〇〇 have had cases like that. But no one would conclude from that that “corporations are illegal.” The corporation itself isn’t illegal; it’s simply that a company may be arrested if it engages in illegal activity. > “Why are relationship clubs legal?” So it’s not really a matter of relationship clubs specifically. They’re legal simply because they’re operated by companies that comply with the law. That said, even if a company operates believing it is acting legally, someone may still be arrested depending on how the law is interpreted. At Universe Club, however, we always consult our legal advisers as we operate.

After doing a quick search online, I learned that there used to be something called a “mistress club” that dispatched people looking to become someone’s mistress. I assume there are still places like that around today. Well, since it’s essentially a staffing business, I figured it wasn’t illegal because businesses like that exist everywhere. And since dating clubs are also basically referral agencies, I figured they weren’t illegal either. With both of them, the attitude seems to be, “After that, you’re on your own” (lol). Pretty clever, when you think about it. That’s actually how it works, so I’ve been turned down plenty of times myself (lol). You don’t have to force yourself to date anyone! So I figured there probably isn’t much enforcement against them in the first place.

I’m no legal expert, but please allow me to offer my humble answer. As far as I understand, the difference in names isn’t what determines whether a club is legal: “mistress clubs” are illegal, while dating clubs are legal. In Japan, organized prostitution is illegal, but there are apparently no penalties for private dealings between individuals, so they generally aren’t treated as criminal offenses (I think). My understanding is that it’s the actual nature of the activity—not the name—that matters. If it’s deemed organized prostitution, you could potentially face criminal charges. In other words, a mistress club may not necessarily lead to criminal charges, while a dating club could still be illegal depending on the circumstances. Also, soliciting customers in public places is an offense, and providing a place for prostitution is subject to penalties as well. The main thing you should be careful about, young lady, is not standing around Okubo Park.