Nightlife Law
風営法 · fuei-hou
Also known as: fuei-hou
The law that sets licensing, opening hours and age limits for hostess clubs, host clubs and similar venues; its full name is the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business.
Fueiho is the short name of the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business, the law that frames how nightlife venues operate. A venue where cast sit with guests, such as a hostess club, club, host club or a snack bar with settai, must hold a public safety commission licence as a hospitality venue. A bar or girls bar that serves alcohol after midnight without settai files a notification as a late-night alcohol-serving restaurant. Adult businesses such as soaplands fall under a separate category that this site does not cover.
A licensed hospitality venue may not in principle operate from midnight until sunrise, extended to 1 a.m. in areas set by prefectural ordinance, and may not admit anyone under 18. Drinking is governed by a different law that forbids it under 20, so the venues listed here are for people aged 20 or over.
What is worth remembering as a visitor is that this one law explains why hostess clubs close at midnight or 1 a.m., why girls bar staff do not sit beside you, and why your age is checked at the door.
When you'll encounter this
You meet it in explanations of how a venue is licensed and in trade writing about licensed venues or category-1 businesses.
Related Terms
Looking for something else?