Japan Reacts Against Street Prostitution: The Anti-Prostitution Law and Women's Guidance Homes

Abstract

Sociocultural developments after World War II created new conditions in Japan that made possible enactment of the Anti-Prostitution Law in 1956 and amended in 1958. Within the context of Japan's cultural history and previous reliance on police regulation of red-light districts, the law constituted a reevaluation of the social significance of street prostitution that made possible reliance on criminal sanctions. Although placed within the prison system, the women's guidance home (Fujin Hodo-in) was given the purposes of protection and resocialization instead of imprisonment. In analyzing the nature and functions of this remarkable correctional institution, the author emphasizes the key importance of developments in the society at large, including their contribution to the sharp decline in the number of street prostitutes received by the women's guidance homes.