Prostitution
Prostitution has existed in some form throughout Japan's history. Despite the Anti-Prostitution Law of 1956, various legal loopholes, liberal interpretations of the law, and loose enforcement have allowed the sex industry to prosper and earn an estimated 2.3 trillion yen a year. The Anti-Prostitution Law however only makes prostituting oneself a crime whereas those who use services of a prostitute are immune from prosecution.
In Japan, the "sex industry" is not synonymous with prostitution. Since Japanese law defines prostitution as "intercourse with an unspecified person in exchange for payment," most sex clubs only offer non-coital services to remain legal. This has led Joan Sinclair, the author of Pink Box, to observe that the sex industry in Japan ironically "offer absolutely everything imaginable but sex."
Read more about this topic: Sexuality In Japan