Hello! We are SWASH (Sex Work And Sexual Health). SWASH is a Japanese sex worker rights group, working to protect the health and safety of sex workers.

Our Vision

We aim to create a booklet to raise awareness about the risks of the Nordic model in order to protect the health and safety of sex workers. 

In Japan, sex work is partially legalised—only penile-vaginal penetrative sex is prohibited. However, there is a growing movement advocating for the criminalisation of clients, commonly known as the Nordic model.

Street-based sex workers in Kabukicho, Tokyo's largest red-light district, have attracted increasing media attention. The media often focus on exploitative relationships between sex workers and host men, portraying the workers as victims. Many reports claim these sex workers are young women coerced into the industry by hosts. However, the media frequently overlook the diversity of street-based sex workers, which includes migrant workers and those who either choose not to or cannot work in brothels.

The Nordic model is advocated by several groups and people that view sex work solely as a form of violence and exploitation. Famous feminist scholars including Chizuko Ueno support the law, believing it will reduce violence against sex workers. Only proponents of this model are featured in the mass media. Asahi Shimbun, a comparatively liberal newspaper, only interviewed scholars who advocate for the criminalisation of clients, emphasising the need for such a punitive law to 'end' exploitation by men (hosts and clients). Furthermore, Akahata, a newspaper published by the Japanese Communist Party (one of the few political parties supporting the legalisation of same-sex marriage and trans rights), primarily reports on activists opposed to sex work, often mislabeling SWASH members as pimps or privileged sex workers who have never had negative experiences in the industry.

Like many other sex worker rights groups, SWASH opposes the criminalisation of clients. Punitive laws targeting clients, third parties, or sex workers do not protect sex workers' safety. There is substantial evidence provided by sex worker-led organisations, including NSWP, as well as by researchers, demonstrating the harm caused by the law. What we need is legislation that fully decriminalises sex work—a crucial first step toward recognising and respecting the rights of all sex workers.

Therefore, we want to create our own media to share the information we’ve gathered in order to prevent the introduction of the criminalisation of clients. While there is a wealth of information available in English, there is a significant lack of evidence in Japanese. Moreover, anti-sex work groups are actively translating English resources into Japanese to spread their narratives. It is urgent to counter this movement by sharing the evidence collected from sex workers and allies around the world. 

Where are we?

Three SWASH members had the opportunity to visit Europe in July 2024 to learn about the impact of the Nordic model. 

We visited several sex worker-led organisations in Paris and interviewed sex workers about how the law affects them, particularly migrant sex workers. All of them shared that the law has only worsened their situation, leading to riskier services and increased health issues. After the introduction of the law, sex workers become more vulnerable as clients gain more power to negotiate. For example, sex workers need to travel farther to work in more secluded and private spaces to avoid the police. Moreover, the law deters sex workers from accessing social services due to the ongoing fear of arrest under third-party or immigration laws.

At the IAIDS conference in Munich, we presented the situation in Japan and explained that the criminalisation of clients is being promoted by those opposed to sex work. We also attended a press conference discussing the outcome of a lawsuit against the French government for criminalising the purchase of sex in 2016. We reconfirmed the necessity of decriminalising sex work to protect the rights and safety of sex workers.

Recently, SWASH translated Dr. Niina Vuolajärvi’s policy brief into Japanese. The brief discusses how the criminalisation of sex buying affects sex workers, based on ethnographic research conducted over a three-year period in the Nordic region (Sweden, Norway, Finland). The tweet about this report was shared by around 100 people on Twitter/X.

Now, we are writing reports to share what we learned from our visit to Europe and to create a booklet that summarises the information by the end of March 2025—before the ordinary Diet session begins!

What do we want to do?

We need international support! We started this campaign in Japanese only, but the donations have reached only 153,325 yen, which is about 10% of our goal. In Japan, it is very difficult to raise funds if we advocate for sex workers' rights. SWASH can only receive funding when we address STD issues. Moreover, there is a significant lack of awareness about the Nordic model in Japan, making it difficult to gain support — this is why we are running this campaign!

Please support us in raising 1,500,000 yen ($9,655) to

1. Create a Leaflet about the Impact of the Nordic Model

We want to create a comprehensive leaflet that explains the negative effects of the Nordic Model on sex workers. This will help educate the public and policymakers about the harm this model causes.

2. Host a Launch Event for the Leaflet

We want to host an event to officially launch the leaflet, bringing together sex workers, activists, and supporters to raise awareness and discuss the next steps in the fight against the Nordic Model.

3. Cover Additional Expenses for Research in Europe

SWASH has already funded research on the impact of the Nordic Model in Europe. Your donation will help cover the extra expenses incurred during this vital research trip to ensure we have the most accurate and up-to-date information.

4. Organise Lobbying to Stop the Nordic Model

We will organise lobbying efforts to push against the introduction of the Nordic Model in Japan, engaging with lawmakers and advocating for the decriminalisation of sex work.

What else can you do to help SWASH?

1. Please share this website on your social media! It helps raise awareness of our situation and campaign!
2. Follow us on X/Twitter or Instagram to stay updated on our campaign reports.

https://x.com/swash_jp

https://www.instagram.com/swash.jp?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

If you donate over 10,000 yen, we will send you our leaflet! Please email us if you have any questions or suggestions.