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Thursday, 18th June 2015
In Japan Entertainment News,
Dancing in clubs after midnight is no longer illegal in Japan
A law has been overturned in Japan, which had previously made it illegal to dance in clubs after midnight throughout the country.
The regulations had been in place since 1948, but have now been revised to give revellers more freedom, although there are still stipulations.
Lights must remain switched on for the sake of decency, it has been mandated, but the dancing is no longer a crime.
Originally, the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business came into force during the US occupation of Japan and was aimed at curbing prostitution in dance halls.
While it was up to the clubs themselves to ensure that customers did not break the rules, enforcement of the law was relaxed during the 1960s.
This has led to Japan becoming well-known as an all-night clubbing destination in recent years, but technically dancing into the small hours was prohibited, until now.
The music industry has been lobbying against the archaic law for some time and a petition was signed by 160,000 people.
It was not until this week that Japan's upper house of parliament voted to relax the regulation as part of a package of measures to create a more relaxed atmosphere across the nation to help welcome visitors.
The revision to the law is expected to come into force by next summer, but with news that it is on its way, revellers can dance without fear of reprimands.
Lighting in clubs that allow dancing must be at 10 lux or higher, so as not to be classed as an adult entertainment business under the changes.
Kumiko Omura, a clubber from Tokyo, told Bloomberg: "Dancing at clubs has long been associated with strip clubs, but it is nothing of the sort. It was a very contradictory law, given that dance is a compulsory subject at schools."
Related news stories:
Ban on dancing to end (15th July 2014)