Japan is offering its sex workers financial aid during the coronavirus crisis

Mika is worried.

As a sex worker in Japan, she used to see three or four clients a day - then the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Now, with people staying home and avoiding close contact, she’s out of clients and out of money.

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With no savings or other sources of income, Mika says she is living off borrowed money.

She has tried to find other jobs, but nobody’s hiring in the middle of an economic crisis.

At this rate, she might not be able to pay rent or afford basic necessities, let alone pay off the debt she has recently taken on.

“I’m worried if I will have a place to live or if I can find a job to get money to live,” she said, using a pseudonym to protect her privacy.

“I worry about (my health) of course, but now I worry more about how to survive.”

Japan hard-hit

Sex workers across Japan have been hit hard by closures and restrictions due to the pandemic.

The entire country is under a state of emergency, with many businesses ordered to shutter and people advised not to go out.

There are now at least 10,797 cases nationwide and 236 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

To soften the economic blow, the central government has launched a massive stimulus package worth 108 trillion Japanese yen (about AUD$1548 billion).

Sign of progress?

After some controversy, sex workers are eligible to apply for aid, under certain conditions - a move some activists have hailed as a sign of progress for an industry that has long suffered social stigma.

But for many sex workers, the package offers little reassurance - and its rules for eligibility seem opaque and restrictive.

Some aren’t sure how to apply for benefits without effectively outing themselves.

“(The government) haven’t clearly said they will help everybody,” Mika said.

“There are many people unable to eat and survive without working.”

Tokyo’s Kabukicho adult entertainment area on April 7. Credit: CNN

The fight for inclusion

Prostitution, or the exchange of sexual intercourse for money, is a criminal offence in Japan, but other types of sex work are legal.

The sex industry in Japan generates an estimated $24 billion a year, according to Havocscope, a research organisation on the global black market.

Mika works in the legally permitted “delivery health” industry, a euphemism for escort services that stop short of intercourse.

Another popular form of legal sex work is “fashion health,” which offers services like oral sex in massage parlours.

When the Japanese government started putting together the relief package, it excluded those legally in the adult entertainment and sex industries - drawing criticism from activists and opposition members, who called the exclusion “occupational discrimination.”

In the video below: Japan declares state of emergency

“Do not exclude sex workers from receiving support money. We want sex workers and their children to be protected, like other workers and their children,” said Japanese advocacy organization Sex Work And Sexual Health (SWASH) in a letter to the government on April 2.

Officials reversed course, announcing several days later that the proposed plan would include those working legally in the sex industry.

Under the drafted guidelines, sex work agencies and employers could receive subsidies for those who have to stay home to care for children during school closures.

Sex workers could also apply for a cash handout, available for people who have lost income due to the coronavirus.

Tokyo’s entertainment and red light district is empty on April 7 after the government declared a state of emergency. Credit: CNN

However, the move continues to polarise public opinion in Japan, where attitudes toward sex and sex work tend to lean socially conservative.

Some public figures, including well-known TV entertainers, protest the use of taxpayer money to support sex workers.

In response, the hashtag #NightWorkIsAlsoWork - “night work” being a euphemism for sex work - has gone viral on social media.

‘I’m stuck’

Many sex workers also say the government’s rules for financial aid and eligibility are confusing and difficult to navigate.

For instance, Mika said, it’s not clear whether the handout is only available to those who have lost a certain amount of their income, or who have been dismissed from their jobs entirely, such as losing agents who liaise between the clients and sex workers.

And there’s another problem: the plan requires applicants to show proof of their salary and lost income - a significant challenge for sex workers, who are often paid under the table and whose salaries can fluctuate.

Fear of repercussions

Many sex workers don’t report their occupation or full income on their tax return due to the nature of their work and fear of repercussions.

Even if their sex work falls within legal bounds, a pervasive sense of shame and stigma means that many are reluctant to identify themselves as sex workers on the record.

Not even Mika’s family knows what she does for a living.

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And this lack of documentation could prevent them from receiving financial aid. The alternative would be to admit omitting information on their taxes, which could lead to its own set of consequences.

“It’s not clear how freelance workers whose income has not been reported to the government can get approved for the stimulus,” said Mika.

“I want to apply for it, but it is not clear how to do it. I’m stuck.”

The central government is still drafting the terms of its stimulus package.

Mika must now wait for the government to finalize the package, which will be formally reviewed and deliberated next week, and hope for more clarity.

This article was originally published from CNN and appears with permission.

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