The Ministry of Justice in Japan has revealed its plans to establish a study group that will focus on addressing the imbalances in the current laws regarding prostitution. This announcement was made by Minister of Justice Haruki Higoriko during a press conference following a Cabinet meeting on the 10th. The government is aiming to propose legal amendments during the upcoming extra session of the Diet this autumn or the regular session next year, which reflects growing concerns over the social issues related to street solicitation for sex. Minister Higoriko emphasized the need for a comprehensive discussion involving various legal scholars and stakeholders due to the changing social context surrounding this issue.

Currently, Japan’s law penalizes only the providers of sexual services, with offenders facing up to six months in prison or fines up to 20,000 yen. Critics, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have pointed out the inherent bias in the law that disproportionately affects women forced into selling sex, with a call for reform to include penalties for buyers as well. The proposed measures are expected to rectify this imbalance; the discussions will likely explore whether to punish the act of solicitation by buyers in public, as well as considerations for increasing existing penalties and determining the legality of penalizing buyers for engaging in sexual acts.

The discussions will also take into account international perspectives, comparing Japan’s laws to those of other countries, including the U.S., Sweden, and Germany, which have varied approaches to criminalization or legalization of sex work. These comparisons aim to inform Japan's legal framework and navigate the challenges that similar countries face, providing a broader understanding of the implications of such reforms on Japanese society and its legal structure.