<p class="title">Sex workers in Osaka will be shown the red light as the city seeks to clean up its image before hosting world leaders for the G20 summit in June.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All 159 members of the Tobita Shinchi association, which represents businesses in the red-light district, will close their doors during the Group of 20 meeting to avoid causing "disruption," an association official told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Because the summit is a huge event, we thought that even a minor bit of trouble between our customers could be a source of disruption, and have decided to close our operations voluntarily," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trouble between customers tends to break out in part because of alcohol consumption in the district, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Tobita Shinchi was once known as the largest neighbourhood of licenced brothels in Japan, but to circumvent anti-prostitution laws, many establishments now operate as 'Japanese-style restaurants'.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The association took a similar measure in 1995, when Osaka hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, with some but not all neighbourhood businesses closing during the meeting, the official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Japan will host the G20 summit in Osaka on June 28-29, with US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping among the world leaders expected to attend.</p>
<p class="title">Sex workers in Osaka will be shown the red light as the city seeks to clean up its image before hosting world leaders for the G20 summit in June.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All 159 members of the Tobita Shinchi association, which represents businesses in the red-light district, will close their doors during the Group of 20 meeting to avoid causing "disruption," an association official told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Because the summit is a huge event, we thought that even a minor bit of trouble between our customers could be a source of disruption, and have decided to close our operations voluntarily," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trouble between customers tends to break out in part because of alcohol consumption in the district, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Tobita Shinchi was once known as the largest neighbourhood of licenced brothels in Japan, but to circumvent anti-prostitution laws, many establishments now operate as 'Japanese-style restaurants'.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The association took a similar measure in 1995, when Osaka hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, with some but not all neighbourhood businesses closing during the meeting, the official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Japan will host the G20 summit in Osaka on June 28-29, with US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping among the world leaders expected to attend.</p>