Japan is home to a wide variety of sex-related businesses, all governed by the country’s Entertainment Law. The law has been revised some 38 times since its inception in 1948.
One revision, though, had a thorough and lasting impact. Designed to crack down on what many felt was a growing lawlessness and licentiousness in Japan, the 1984 Entertainment Law revision drove the so-called “no-panties cafes” and many other businesses out of business. The law still shapes how nightlife districts like Kabukicho operate to this day.
The birth of the “new fūzoku”
The so-called no-pan kissa (ノーパン喫茶) rose to prominence in Japan’s roaring 1980s, when its economy was taking off. A salacious take on the traditional kissa, which dates back to Japan’s Taisho era, the shops didn’t just insist that their waitresses not wear undergarments: they also installed mirrors on the floor so that the (mostly male) customers could get a better look.
The first one appears to have started in Osaka in 1980. More sprung up, mostly outside of the cities in more regional areas. However, they soon began to appear in nightlife districts in Japan’s major cities as well. Unlike some fūzoku (sex) businesses where non-penetrative sexual play is allowed, most no-pan kissa had a strict no-touch rule.
The concept didn’t stop at no-pan kissa, either. Pretty soon, there were no-pan shabu-shabu and no-pan karaoke joints. A titillating concept, sure…but perhaps not the most hygienic environment for eating and drinking.
The no-pan kissa were just one of many “new sex” businesses to arise in this era. Others included peep show rooms (のぞき部屋; nozoki-heya), which first sprang up in Osaka (Japan’s most horny prefecture, apparently) in 1981; private massage parlors; and so-called “fashion health” (ファッションヘルス), a euphemism for private room service involving non-penetrative sex. Because these businesses didn’t fit the neat categories set forth in the Entertainment Law, they largely evaded regulation.
A crackdown on “sex city”
Eventually, all of these new sexual services caught the attention of the mass media, which sounded the alarm about Kabukicho becoming “sex city.” At one point, it was reported that anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 women were working in sex services in the area, with an average income of 1 million yen ($6,700) a month.
Obviously, authorities couldn’t turn a blind eye to —gasp! —women earning money. At the same time, delinquent youth were a hot topic in 1980s Japan. The media stoked fears that areas like Kabukicho would suck young people into a life of crime.
In a reaction reminiscent of today’s coverage of host clubs, authorities decided they needed to intervene. Concluding that it was impossible to regulate the sex industry out of existence entirely, they focused on crafting a revision to the Entertainment Law that sought to “preserve properly run and clean entertainment districts,” while restricting anything that would interfere with “the wholesome education of our youth.”
The result was the most extensive revision to the Entertainment Law in decades – one that has lasting repercussions to this day.
The 1984 Entertainment Law created a two-tier system. Businesses without sexual contact – cabaret clubs, girls’ bars, concept cafes, nightclubs, mahjong parlors, etc. – would require a license to run. These were deemed “wholesome” forms of nighttime entertainment.
Regulating the “unwholesome” ones—i.e., the actual sex-related businesses—was trickier. From a societal standpoint, the government giving sex shops “permission” to run would seem like an endorsement of prostitution.
To avoid this, the revised law stated that sex businesses would need to file a “report” on their activities. Such businesses, while not strictly requiring “permission,” were still subject to inspection to ensure they were complying with the various rules and regulations set forth for these “entertainment” businesses – in particular, no penetrative sex.
The law also had two other key elements that targeted the “new fūzoku” businesses. First, it forbade “multi-modal operations.” In other words, you couldn’t run a restaurant that was also a nudie bar.
Second, the law forbade most nightlife businesses from operating past midnight. That included explicit sex shops but also businesses such as cabaret clubs, host clubs, and even arcades.
Furthermore, the new law stated that any new type of fūzoku business not listed by the law would still be regulated as a sex business. That would prevent the chaos that Japan saw with the rise of the unregulated “new fūzoku” shops.
The disappearance of the no-panties business model
That part of the law was clearly targeted at establishments like the no-pan kissa. And it worked. Most of these businesses shifted gears quickly. For example, panty-less kissa that already had private rooms added showers and converted into “fashion health” businesses.
Ironically, while shutting down some business models, the revised law also created new ones. The so-called “fashion health” trend, for example, gave way to “delivery health” (a.k.a. デリヘル, or deri-heru) – a sexual service in which an escort goes directly to a customer’s hotel room.
Delivery health gained popularity in the 1990s, as it meant businesses didn’t have to worry about maintaining a physical store that conformed with the (sometimes expensive) dictates of the Entertainment Law. Another plus was that, if a given employee broke the law – e.g., by having full-blown sex with a customer – the business could disavow any knowledge of it, as it didn’t happen on-premises.
The 2000s would also see the rise of girls’ bars, in which female bartenders serve a largely male clientele. Because there was zero customer contact involved (employees don’t drink at a table with customers, as they do at host or cabaret clubs), these businesses could remain open for 24 hours a day, evading the midnight cutoff.
Nightlife districts like Kabukicho are still feeling the effects of this law today. Authorities frequently bust sex-related businesses that attempt to operate without obtaining a fūzoku license. I’ve written, for example, about the crackdown on SOD Land, a cabaret-type establishment where customers drink with porn stars.
Authorities frequently stage mass checkups at clubs in areas like Kabukicho. As in the 1980s, this is done in the name of protecting the youth. The primary target is businesses like concept cafes, which frequently break the law by serving minors.
Japan continues to revise the Entertainment Law in response to new scandals and outrages. The latest revision cracking down on host clubs is a good example. No matter how much the law morphs and changes, however, sex remains big business in Japan.
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Sources
【風営法「改正」史】ノーパン喫茶からラッキーホールまで「ニュー風俗」を標的にした’84年の大改正. Friday Digital
【風営法「改正」史】ノーパン喫茶は「壊滅」ファッションヘルスは「激増」…’84年大改正の〝影響〟. Friday Digital
大蔵省接待汚職事件. Wikipedia JP
のぞき部屋. Wikipedia JP
ファッションヘルス. Wikipedia JP
ガールズバー. Wikipedia JP
