Tokyo’s red-light district Kabukicho puts Japan on international sex tourism radar

Tokyo, Jun 10 (EFE).- Tokyo’s red-light district of Kabukicho is known not only for its neon lights and vibrant nightlife, but also for its growing reputation as the center of prostitution in the Japanese capital — and increasingly, as a destination for sex tourism.

A surge in foreign visitors, driven in part by the weak yen and the influence of social media, has contributed to the rise of this phenomenon in recent months, despite prostitution being illegal in Japan. (Camera: SARA RODRÍGUEZ PACHÓN).

FOOTAGE OF THE RED-LIGHT DISTRICT OF KABUKICHO, IN TOKYO, JAPAN.

SOUNDBITSE: ARATA SAKAMOTO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NGO GROUP, RESCUE HUB (IN JAPANESE).

TRANSLATION:

- Before the coronavirus, when walking around the park in Kabukicho, you might see three or four women on the street. But after the pandemic, especially after Golden Week in 2020, it became common to see 30 to 40 women in the same area. And when there was no more space there, they began to move into neighboring areas.

- It’s common to hear people say that Japan is now starting to resemble Bangkok, in the sense that there’s information available online.

- With the rise in foreign tourism, more and more visitors are coming to Kabukicho, and there are women who prefer these clients out of fear of being caught by undercover Japanese agents.

- While I believe it’s necessary to regulate prostitution, it’s also true that there are women who have no other way to make money.