Dancers displeased with the anti-dance law and the shutdown of a popular club in Osaka are taking their arguments to the screens this month in a documentary titled "Save The Club Noon."
Noon, located in the Nakazaki-cho district of Osaka, was forced to shut down in April 2012 after local police claimed the club violated the 1948 fueihō entertainment business control law. Eight were arrested in the case, their charges being that the club allowed approximately 20 people to dance on its premises "without permission."
The 65-year-old law was created when so-called dance clubs were used as hotbeds of prostitution. Clubbers have been quick to rise up against a recent crackdown that has caused some lawmakers to push for a reform of the law.
But revision of the rules is moving at a snail's pace, with a preliminary proposal being filed late last month.
Directed by Moriro Miyamoto, the film's title derives from an event held in July 2012 in which more than 90 artists gathered to protest Noon's closure. The film features prominent media figures including novelist Seiko Ito as well as the manager of the club.
"Save The Club Noon" is now playing at Shibuya Uplink theater through Dec. 13. The film will open in Osaka on Dec. 21 and in Nagoya on Jan 2. For more information, visit www.savetheclubnoon.com.