Nightlife and the “Building of Safe and Reassuring Communities”: A Case Study on the Crackdown on Nightclubs in America-mura, Osaka

Abstract

In Europe and North America, nightlife has been utilized since the late 20th century as the “night-time economy” to revitalize post-industrial city centers and enhance global competitiveness. In Japan, however, nightlife was controlled until the amendment of the “Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business (Fueiho)” in 2015. Using the case of the crackdown on nightclubs in America-mura, Osaka, this article examines why nightlife in Japan had not been recognized as a resource for urban economic growth until the late 2010s. From this crackdown process, the article reveals that nightlife tended to be excluded due to the “Building of Safe and Reassuring Communities (Anzen/Anshin na Machizukuri)” which supported the daytime use of urban areas.