Court dismisses sex business firm's damages claim over virus handout snub

… “the sex industry is inherently unhealthy.” The scheme does not cover … companies dispatching sex workers and operators of love hotels or accommodations for sexual activities.

The opposite argument could also be made — the sex industry is inherently healthy. There are many benefits to a healthy sex life.

It’s a business like any other, and the weird thing is those judging from a moral perspective are probably the biggest customer base for the industry.

In the suit, the government argued that "the sex industry is inherently unhealthy," and that was difficult to gain an understanding of why the industry should be eligible for the program.

This is a problem of the government having schizophrenia and recognizing the sex industry as worth having (therefore allowed) but also unhealthy and therefore not worth supporting.

It must be a very difficult job trying to make these double standards congruent when it is obvious they contradict each other. If the government lets something exist legally then it has to support it the same as every other industry, and if on the contrary it is considered unhealthy then it should be illegal and forbidden. You can't have both things at the same time.

The relief programs should have been based on past tax records. Sex workers and sex industry are relevant taxpayers deserving the financial assistance (of course there are always some cheaters evading taxes, never limited to sex industry).

In fact, corona money has been provided to much more dubious businesses ("makeshift" startups launched after the state of emergency), and about 90% of the state funds or 11 trillion yen have gone missing. Outrageous.

quote: the sex industry is inherently unhealthy.

Not providing relief funds will have forced some vulnerable people to risk Covid by still working to pay their bills. That was just daft. If the government were serious about stopping viral spread and were listening to competent scientists, the sex industry should have been first in line for lockdown payments given the amount of exposure involved.

That's not a legal judgement but a puritanical religious one more suited to a church. It's pure prejudice. Are they saying that izakayas are healthy - knocking back the booze until your liver packs up? What about the snack food industry? Have you checked the list of ingredients recently? The fat, sugar and additives? And what of those drinks that are so sweet they should give you a discount off dental work and come with a diabetes warning? Did tobacconists get payments? Because they are the very definition of inherently unhealthy.

Incidentally, love hotels don't just serve the sex industry. Couples use them for a bit of privacy or a bit of glamour.

that "the sex industry is inherently unhealthy,

so Dickensian, The whole story reads like a Puritans trial from 1660.

So we allow a business, but it is not a business. Got it.

In the suit, the government argued that "the sex industry is inherently unhealthy," and that was difficult to gain an understanding of why the industry should be eligible for the program.

How could they possibly be so judgmental??

In the meantime, the large amount of corona relief money has gone missing, allegedly to "inherently unhealthy" "unethical" businesses including criminal organisations. Not to mention, there are many, many corona funds frauds which still get away with punishments.

コロナ予備費「11兆円」追えず　「国費解剖」まとめ読み

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA133NB0T10C22A5000000/

In the suit, the government argued that "the sex industry is inherently unhealthy," and that was difficult to gain an understanding of why the industry should be eligible for the program.

A legal business but 'Inherently unhealthy '.

Nice to know this is a legal category in Japanese courts and not just a usual courts running cover for the establishment business, bureaucracy or politicians.

All of the healthy date rape central drunk driving izakayas or pachinko parlors are good for tax payer funded relief.

As well as government propaganda arm ad agency Dentsu and right wing hotel chains.

All very healthy.

Japan's 'night business ' is one of the biggest hypocritical grey areas that benefit Japan Inc.

Are these businesses LEGAL and registered as a legitimate business? paying their annual corporate fees and taxes?? well if they are then they should be paid assuming that they were impacted by COVID. If they are not registered then they should be Excluded.

Sex business is a legitimate job that many Japanese salarymen have used at least once in their lifetime. It's like buying a Fendi bag for women.

The people who run the soaplands and delivery health places probably pay their taxes. The working girls don't though. They get paid cash in hand in a brown envelope.

If they pay corporate taxes, no matter how "unhealthy" the services might seem, they deserve that financial assistance. Otherwise, they don't ever need to pay taxes.

The word they used is 不健全, which in the context of what they are talking about reads more like "immoral" than "unhealthy", not to mention that they also argued that it wasn't discrimination because that industry was contrary to the "morals of most citizens".

This whole case, and the way it has been handled by the Tokyo Court just 100% shows how stupid and corrupt justice really is in this country.

Courts in Japan generally side with govt or big business, so this is no surprise. Shoulda offered the judges something extra.

But it’s an industry that is constantly booming. We all know the politicians go to these services too, they should start naming clients!

Heck they had a politician literally just “resign” for being caught it paying for an 18year olds services. Who is still getting his 3 million yen summer bonus despite resigning from his post.

talk about biting the hand that feeds Japan ….

whether the translation should be unhealthy or immoral doesn't really matter, if they pay taxes they should have the same rights as any other business. if immoral or unhealthy is a legitimate reason why should any place serving fast food or alcohol get any money? Most businesses don't serve a useful or healthy purpose. Also I'm sure the people in this work category use their services more than the average citizen.

"the sex industry is inherently unhealthy,"

Which should be a reason to provide it with adequate assistance so they could suspend operations

In this case, the sex industry and its workers should also be exempt from taxes.

I mean sex workers already does not receive any services from the government, even if they get murdered the police generally will not get involved as long as the other party have proper society standing (i.e. not unemployed)

The Japanese government should be applauded for not promoting hedonism and standing for the pro-societal good of sex in its proper abode, marriage.

Ah, yes. Because members of the Japanese ruling class are truly altruistic, and during their hostess parties and steak dinners on the back of the long-suffering tax payer, they're discussing how to ensure a fair go for us proles.

Hedonism. The gall of mentioning such a concept in relation to the LDP and thinking you've a leg to stand on.

that "the sex industry is inherently unhealthy,

The Japanese call it “health” though. They must believe it’s healthy.

so Dickensian, The whole story reads like a Puritans trial from 1660.

Maybe you mean Hawthorn and Hester in the Scarlet Letter 1640’s. Dickens was two centuries later.

Simple barrier: does the sex industry pay the proper amount of taxes? If the answer is yes, then the government needs to pay up.

Just annoying topic. How about having referendum on every elections to sort this kind of issues out.

This time, voters say yes or no if sex workers/industry ( strictly and clearly defined what those exactly are ) are to be included into legitimate business to be rescued in the situation like that .

In case we forgot, prostitution is illegal here as of now.

A fairly sound argument in my opinion.

What a ghoulish perspective, if you truly entertain it.

Fine. No covid relief from the taxes they paid. In return, they will not pay taxes moving forward. Perhaps they will go underground.

In the suit, the government argued that "the sex industry is inherently unhealthy," and that was difficult to gain an understanding of why the industry should be eligible for the program.

…….

….

So, by that reckoning ‘unhealthy’ businesses don’t have to pay tax?

No benefits so no taxes, right?

As if the government would refuse!

The Japanese judicial decision has more holes in it than my bedsheets!

Women who work in many of the 水商売 industry's branches are shunned and stigmatized while I regularly hear men bragging in front of strangers (including other women) about using their services. I don't know much about the social standing of men who work as workers (not as thugs) in the industry, but I've yet to meet a woman who'd publically boast about seeing hosts, thinking it makes her look cool.

Japan's (and not only Japan's) conservative establishment has not sympathy with anyone not already privileged. The hypocrisy of pretending to hold up some kind of moral values while punching down on the already downtrodden is not unique to Japan, but given its terrible record on gender equality, it's situations like these that really bring it to light.

Remember the well known Japanese who had to give a fake apology but carried on after expressing happiness that so many cute girls would be getting into the 'night businesses ' because of COVID economic stress ?

I wouldn't be surprised if a large part of the male public had no idea what was wrong with that as I know quite a few men who think like that.

The word they used is 不健全, which in the context of what they are talking about reads more like "immoral" than "unhealthy", not to mention that they also argued that it wasn't discrimination because that industry was contrary to the "morals of most citizens"

Ah.

Thanks for the insight

The uptight, buttoned-down sliding scale of Japanese morality. Sex work is as legitimate as any other career, and the fewer weird, antiquated hang-ups a society has, the safer it is for the practitioners.

Especially in this country, where denial facilitates harm in the shadows.

Also, given the breadth of fetishistic kinks within Japanese sexual consciousness, there's a desperate hypocrisy in appealing to so-called 'morality'.

Individual staff members, however, are considered sole proprietors who have a contract with operators and are eligible for the program.

So, if I get it right the actual workers got the help but the pimp got nothing.

"the sex industry is inherently unhealthy,"

And I guess, they mean unhealthy as part of society as they do not provide to shakai hoken, unemployment, ... by using contractors ; without even talking about yak involvement which mostly make it legal to discriminate toward them.

You couldn’t make this up.

@david

You seem to know a lot. I personally have never been to one. Thank you for sharing your experiences

Many young girls are funneled into these places because Japan's unemployment scheme, social safety nets and part time (and full time) wages are so pitiful

Spot on.

Remember the well known Japanese who had to give a fake apology but carried on after expressing happiness that so many cute girls would be getting into the 'night businesses ' because of COVID economic stress ?

The political establishment runs a Sadean agenda.

The usual passive agressive and discrimination issues.

Definitely hypocritical.

If they pay corporate taxes, no matter how "unhealthy" the services might seem, they deserve that financial assistance.

No, they don't. They need to be impacted by the virus. The government is basically saying that people that put themselves at risk of getting HIV or other STDs on any given day wouldn't be worried about catching Covid. A fairly sound argument in my opinion.

The Japanese government should be applauded for not promoting hedonism and standing for the pro-societal good of sex in its proper abode, marriage.

In most western countries “sex dispatching” would be classified as prostitution and illegal. No wonder she didn’t get any handouts. She would have had a better chance if she said it was porno or erotic art because it’s not prostitution if there’s a camera.