6 Weird Laws Unique to Japan

Different cultures and histories have their own unique laws, some of which you may wonder if they are true. When you live or travel abroad, you may inadvertently be in violation of the law. So here are some of the weird laws that are unique to Japan!

Do not expose your thighs

Enacted in 1948.If you expose not only your thighs, but also your buttocks and other parts of your body, you will go to jail for up to 29 days. Punishment is given based on whether the public thinks it is disgusting or not. However, nowadays, women in mini-skirts are walking around the streets, and bikinis are commonplace at the beach in summer, so the law may be meaningless.

Do not clone humans

The famous cloned sheep, Dolly, was born in 1996, and since then, cats and dogs have been successfully cloned. Because of this, in 2000, a law was enacted to prohibit the cloning of human beings for 10 years in prison. I think that IPS cells are almost the same as cloning, but I wonder what the definition of cloning is.

Do not duel

This law, enacted in 1889, provides for imprisonment of not less than six months and not more than two years for offering or accepting to fight a duel, and two to five years for actually fighting a duel. All people involved in a duel are subject to punishment, not just the person themselves. The law was almost never used for more than 100 years, but recently there have been a number of cases and it has become a hot topic.

Do not perform military exercises on the moon or planets

In the 1960s and 1970s, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union were leading the space program, the two countries were also developing nuclear weapons, and this law was created in 1966. Since then, it has been virtually unused due to the fact that space development has not progressed as much as expected, but with the recent success of the Hayabusa, it may be a law that will be used in a few decades or even a few hundred years.

Do not costume as an American soldier

It is well known that there are American military bases in Japan. It was established in 1952 right after the war as a crime to improperly wear the uniform. You can’t wear the real thing, or even clothing that resembles it. Some people have been caught when using the uniform for fraudulent purposes, but no one has yet been caught just wearing it from the time it was enacted until now.

Do not buy more than 500 yen a day in snacks

The law requires that snacks must be no more than 500 yen ($4.38) per day for those engaged in electioneering during the campaign. This is enacted to prohibit bribery. By the way, lunches must be no more than 1,000 yen ($8.76) and lodging must be no more than 12,000 yen ($105.11). Is that too strict?