World / Crime & Legal Dec 30, 2021
Ghislaine Maxwell convicted for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teens
by Luc Cohen
The British socialite faces up to 65 years in prison at her yet-to-be-scheduled sentencing proceeding.
National / History Nov 16, 2021
'Ugly history': The battle to restore an iconic brothel building in Osaka
by Harumi Ozawa
Experts say the wooden two-story structure is a rare original example of architecture from the Taisho Era.
National / Social Issues Nov 11, 2021
The Metropolitan Police Department has helped more than 60 women in Tokyo through its initiative in the past year.
National / Crime & Legal Sep 17, 2021
Panel proposes safeguarding personal information of sex crime victims in Japan
According to the amendment outline, abridged copies of documents of indictment with no information about the names or home addresses of sex crime victims would be sent to the accused.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Dec 12, 2020
Rising suicide figures reflect many women’s despair in a pandemic
by Michael Hoffman
Almost as anguishing as having no future is having an unknown one.
History | THE LIVING PAST Nov 16, 2020
A charm offensive in the Yoshiwara pleasure district
by Michael Hoffman
Life in the pleasure district was fun, if you were capable of mustering up the right amount of charm.
National Oct 4, 2020
'Shocking discrimination': Japan's sex industry cries foul over exclusion from government aid
by Tomohiro Osaki
A lawsuit has ignited a debate over whether the sector should qualify for subsidies, laying bare a deep-seated distrust of an industry often associated with immorality.
National / Crime & Legal Sep 24, 2020
Japanese sex business operator sues state over virus handout snub
The lawyers said the woman suspended her business between mid-April and late May in accordance with business closure requests from the local authorities.
World Jun 9, 2020
Amsterdam to clean up sex-and-drugs tourism in post-virus reboot
As the coronavirus pandemic raged in March and April, the 500-year-old Amsterdam city-center became a ghost town: The scantily clad sex workers in brothel windows in small alleys like Stoofsteeg in the red-light district were gone, as were the hordes of tourists who come ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX May 2, 2020
COVID-19 outbreak raises uncomfortable questions about Japan's adult entertainment industry
by Philip Brasor
If a certain class of people is excluded from initiatives to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, those people will cause the disease to spread to all classes, regardless of other measures in place.
National / Social Issues Apr 16, 2020
Stay-home request over virus hits girls in Japan with no place to go
The spread of the novel coronavirus and a government request that the public refrain from going outside has added to the predicament of many teenage girls in Japan who have left home due to abuse, poverty or other reasons. "We see fewer girls in town, ...
National / Social Issues Apr 3, 2020
Concern as Japan’s sex workers excluded from freelancer virus payouts
Advocates for bar hostesses and sex workers have urged the government to reconsider its exclusion of them from compensation for parents unable to work because of school closures, noting they are among the most vulnerable members of society. A support group for such workers submitted ...