How Social Media Is Spurring “Sex Tourism” in Japan
by 
April 21, 2025
Anime and manga tourism are big businesses in Japan. But according to a new report, sex tourism is also seeing an increased presence in the country.
According to the French news organization Agence France-Presse (AFP), there is no official data on these numbers, though their evidence indicates that social media is helping the spread of this “tourism” by bringing more overseas clients into the country. The majority of clients seeking out Japanese sex workers are mainly arriving from Asian countries like China, South Korea and Tawain. They also get a number of clients from North America and Europe.
Typically the clients don’t speak Japanese, and they use apps on their phones to translate for them.
The sex workers who spoke with AFP described themselves as self-employed, and say they use love hotels to do their business.
The workers see some benefits in getting foreign clients: non-Japanese people are less likely to be undercover police officers, they often pay better than the Japanese clients, and they usually do not try to negotiate on prices.
Azu, a 19-year-old sex worker, stated, “In the best-case scenario, I can charge a client 20,000 yen per hour with a condom, sometimes a little more.” That’s about $140 an hour.
One impetus for foreigners to be interested in traveling to Japan for sex tourism is that, though penetrative sex work is illegal in the country, clients who are caught are not charged or arrested, unless they did something illegal in addition to being a client. Instead, the workers themselves are in legal trouble, and they might be fined or put behind bars.
Part of the reason we see an increase in prostitution in Japan is because of financial worries, as the yen is weakened. Some of the women who get into sex work do so because they’re escaping from abusive scenarios and are in desperate situations. They might face more abuse from clients.
Police have been making efforts to crack down on sex work, and it was one of these cases that led authorities inadvertently to anime producer Kouichirou Itou, who was arrested, found guilty, and sentenced for rape and breaking laws related to child prostitution and child pornography.
Source: AFP via France24
Image Credit: Richard A. Brooks / AFP
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
AloJapan.com