12 Laws That Only Exist in Japan

Japanese norms are no less surprising than that country’s culture. So, before traveling to the land of the Rising Sun, keep in mind that citizens cannot be fat there, women have to wear a bra in air-conditioned environments, and tattooed people cannot swim in pools.

O awesome.club compiled the strangest rules that exist in Japan. Some of them, by the way, could be adopted here.

A large number of medicines that are freely available in many countries are sold in Japan by prescription only. Okay, prescription selling is not something different from what exists here in Brazil. The point is that this applies, for example, to inhalers and some types of anti-allergy medication.

In Japan, there is a very strict rule on how to name a child, this is because the Japanese believe in the strength and impact of the name on a person’s destiny. Parents do not have the right to choose a name whose meaning could be considered ambiguous or which has a negative connotation. For example, in 1993, a couple of parents wanted to name their child Akuma, which means “demon”. They were prosecuted and the child was given a more “positive” name.

Since 2008, in Japan there is a “metabolic law”. In this way, the country decided to fight the excess weight of its citizens. According to the regulations, people between the ages of 40 to 75 years old have to have a certain waist size, which should not be more than 85 cm for men and 90 cm for women.

If it is above that, the Japanese receive special medical assistance for weight control, but without fines or penalties.

This rule is very strange, but in Japan it is forbidden to gamble or damage money. Otherwise, the person will face a year in prison or a fine of $2,000.

There is no homemade wine or beer. The Act prohibits the production of alcoholic beverages at home. For violating this rule, Japanese people can be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison and about a $5,000 fine.

In Japan, you won’t find garbage containers in public places. This rule, first of all, is linked to culture, the Japanese from childhood teach how to sort garbage and throw it at home. Second, it is related to the 1995 act of terrorism that took place on the Tokyo subway. For this reason the government decided to get rid of all containers and containers, to avoid the possibility of hiding bombs in them.

In Japanese law it is written that dancing is prohibited in establishments whose surface area is less than 66 square meters. To open a dance club or nightclub, it is necessary to receive a specific license.

From the age of 13 it is possible to start having sex in Japan, but getting married is only allowed after the age of 18.

According to Japanese law, girls could get married at age 16 before, boys could do so only after age 18. But now the rules have changed and the minimum age to get married is 18.

This rule is only used to catch the Puffer fish (or Fugu). The problem is that if you prepare it incorrectly, it is deadly to humans. Therefore, to fish and prepare it, it is only allowed by Japanese people who have obtained the license proving their knowledge of the varieties of fish and how to treat them.

There is no formally prescribed law that prohibits tattoos. However, in many public places there are signs that prohibit people who wear tattoos from visiting saunas. This unspoken rule applies to both Japanese and tourists.

Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan establishes that, with regard to the aspiration to international peace, the country refuses to participate in wars and also to the existence of its own army of land, sea and air forces.

Women in Japan must wear a bra in buildings where there is air conditioning. This law was passed to prevent cases of harassment at work.

Would you like laws like these to exist in your country?