Japan cosmetic tattoo artists face prosecution threat

Japan's cosmetic tattoo artists face possible criminal complaints if they perform permanent make-up without medical licences, while practitioners argue procedures such as scalp micropigmentation, eyebrow tattooing and lip tinting are art rather than medicine.

A Japanese health ministry official told AFP that scalp micropigmentation has a history of doctors' involvement and that needle use can harm the body without medical expertise. The ministry has warned, most recently in December, that unlicensed practitioners may face criminal complaints.

Healthcare law expert Akihiro Saotome told AFP the warning amounted to a signal that arrests were possible and likely had a chilling effect on businesses.

Tattoo artist Remy, an Okinawa-based scalp micropigmentation practitioner, rejects the medical classification. He said the procedure is barely invasive and requires aesthetic skill, but he also supports accreditation and hygiene training for tattoo artists to reduce infection risks.

Japan's Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that traditional decorative tattooing was not a medical act. The ruling did not settle the status of scalp micropigmentation and other permanent make-up.

Some unlicensed cosmetic tattooists continue to operate openly. Remy's Scalp Ink brand hosted a convention in Okinawa last month where beauty specialists from Japan and abroad worked on models' scalps, eyebrows and lips.

Experts cited by AFP said Japan and South Korea were long among the few countries penalising permanent make-up by non-medical workers, before South Korea passed a law last year decriminalising it.