The Anti-Prostitution Law and the Demise of Yoshiwara - Postwar to High Economic Growth Period

The Anti-Prostitution Law and the Demise of Yoshiwara - Postwar to High Economic Growth Period

Postwar Japan underwent a major transition amidst the chaos of defeat and reforms under the occupation. The General Headquarters of the Allied Forces (GHQ), as part of its democratization policy, saw the public prostitution system as a problem, and guided the country toward the elimination of the system of state control over women. In the midst of this trend, the Anti-Prostitution Law was passed in 1956, and the Yoshiwara brothels were officially abolished. The end of a system that had existed since the Edo period marked an important turning point in Japanese society regarding women's rights.

However, the abolition of the system did not necessarily coincide with reality. Yoshiwara did not immediately disappear; it continued to exist as an entertainment district, changing its form of operation. Although the "red line" was abolished by the law, illegal businesses known as "blue lines" spread throughout the country, and the sex industry continued to operate, albeit underground. The gap between philosophy and reality symbolized the contradictions of postwar society.

From the late 1950s to the 1960s, Japan entered a period of rapid economic growth, and urbanization and consumer society progressed. Yoshiwara was transformed into an urban entertainment district, and the sex industry continued to expand while incorporating new types of businesses. The Anti-Prostitution Law, while upholding a modern philosophy that emphasizes women's rights, did not result in the eradication of the sex industry, and thus produced both sides of the coin.

While the demise of Yoshiwara marked the collapse of the public prostitution system and the progress of human rights awareness, it also highlighted the stubbornness of the sex industry, which was deeply rooted in society. Here was condensed the contradiction between postwar Japan's democratization and economic development, and between morality and reality.