Ambivalent governance and urban resilience in Kabukicho's sex industry
Local actors, built environment, and the survival of a contested urban space
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7201394 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Toru Takeoka (Ritsumeikan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 171 |
| Pages | 106723-106723 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0264-2751 • E-ISSN: 1873-6084 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106723 |
| OpenAlex | W7115574472 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 28 |
The present study explores the governance of commercial sex in Kabukicho, Tokyo, where small- and medium-sized sex-related venues persist in the face of gentrification, moral policing, and urban redevelopment. The research is based on fieldwork, participant observation, and 21 in-depth interviews with workers, managers, recruiters, and landowners. The study examines how governance, local actor networks, and the built environment sustain a contested urban economy. The analysis reveals three overlapping dynamics: (1) recruiters facilitate labour mobility whilst moderating managerial exploitation; (2) building owners and local organisations express moral ambivalence, supporting “harmless” venues whilst advocating security enforcement; and (3) spatial forms such as dense mixed-use buildings obscure internal operations, thereby enabling legal ambiguity. The resilience of Kabukicho can be attributed to the complex interplay of actors, spatial design, and enforcement strategies. This contributes to international debates on urban informality, governance, and the survival of deviant economies in global cities. • Reveals multi-actor networks shaping Kabukicho's sex industry resilience. • Shows ambivalent governance blurring policing and protection boundaries. • Highlights role of mixed-use buildings in sustaining urban sex districts • Examines recruiters as intermediaries mitigating and enabling exploitation. • Explains how local contexts prevent gentrification of contested urban spaces.
Ambivalence · Corporate governance · Enforcement · Gentrification · Intermediary · Participant observation · Psychological resilience · Resilience (materials science · Urban resilience · Urban space · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Global Urban Networks and Dynamics · Sex work and related issues · Urban Planning and Governance
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The Business of Leisure, the Leisure of Business
Work Conditions and Job Mobility in the Australian Indoor Sex Industry
On Our Own Terms
Opposing striptopia
Brokerage
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |