Japanese clubs caught in crossfire of ‘war on dancing’

Around a dozen small Japanese venues are thought to have been affected by a recent police crackdown on unauthorised late-night dancing.

Official attitudes to public dancing in Japan are governed by the so-called fūeihō law (fūzoku eigyō-tō no kisei oyobi gyōmu no tekiseika-tō ni kansuru hōritsu, or ‘businesses affecting public morals regulation law’), a piece of legislation that dates to the post-Second World War US occupation and primarily regulates sex work.

While some of the …

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