Japanese Prostitution 10 December 2006, Tokyo Acrylic color, watercolor, pencil, color pencil, ball-point pen and felt tip pen on paper i Prostitution in Japan has a varied history. While the Anti-Prostitution Law of 1956 made organized prostitution illegal, various loopholes, liberal interpretations of the law and loose enforcement have allowed the sex industry to prosper and earn an estimated 2.5 trillion yen a year. The figure is from the advertisement of a hot dog restaurant in Hiroo, Tokyo. 617 / 779