Japanese Government Committee Votes to Loosen Fueiho Law

A Japanese government committee has voted to loosen the controversial Fueiho law that restricts dancing at nightclubs.

Committee chair Motoyuki Oka described the law as "out of date," adding that "loosening the regulations will also help to spur economic activity." The committee voted unanimously on May 12th for the Entertainment Business Control Law to be relaxed. They also recommended that nightclubs fall under the same regulations as other "late night drinking establishments" like restaurants, which would allow them to open later. (Currently they fall under the same decades-old regulations as cabaret venues).

For many years police turned a blind eye to the law, which states that venues under 66 meters squared cannot obtain a license to allow dancing. But in recent years there have been examples of police enforcing the law in cities like Tokyo and Osaka. The committee will work with the National Police Agency and present its findings in June. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said: "The government will respond to the recommendations of the committee once they've been formally presented."

A 150,000-signature opposing the Fueiho law has been presented to the Japanese government. Campaign groups like Let's DANCE have also been set up to lobby for the laws to be overturned. The laws were covered in depth in RA's Real Scenes: Tokyo documentary, which you can watch below.