日本解除“夜舞禁令”
Dancing in clubs after midnight in Japan is no longer a crime as long as the lights stay on for deceny's sake, according to new regulations.
日本一項新法規定，只要保證充分照明，夜裏零點以後在夜店跳舞不再算違法行爲。
The bizarre regulation dates back to the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business which was passed in 1948 during US occupation to curb prostitution in dance halls.
這個奇葩的“禁舞”條例要追溯到1948年美軍佔領期間爲打擊舞廳賣淫行爲而通過的《娛樂商業控制提升法案》。
Enforcement of the law was relaxed from the 1960s, with the nation's now famed all-night clubbing scene booming in recent decades.
不過，20世紀60年代起，這條法律的執行力度開始放寬，近幾十年來，日本夜店通宵經營現象激增。
However, the murder of a 22-year-old student in a fight at a club in Osaka 2010 resulted in a fresh crackdown.
然而，2010年，一個22歲學生在大阪夜店鬥毆致死事件又招來新一輪嚴打。
Launching a campaign to eliminate an excessively hedonistic atmosphere at clubs, police embarked on high-profile raids, forcing many clubs to close for licensing violations.
爲了消除夜店中的極樂主義氣息，警察展開嚴打行動並發動了大規模的突襲，迫使許多夜店因爲證照問題而關門。
The music industry lobbied against the laws and a petition calling for a change in regulations was signed by more than 160,000 people.
音樂界呼籲取消該禁令，有超過16萬人聯名要求對該禁令進行修改。
This week they were able to claim victory as politicians in Japan's upper house of parliament voted to relax the law - part of a package of measures designed to ease deflationary pressures and to create a more relaxed atmosphere in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
這周，他們終於能歡呼慶祝了。日本議會大廈的政客們投票解禁了這項法案，部分原因是緩解通貨緊縮的壓力以及爲2020年東京奧運會營造輕鬆氛圍。
A revision, which is expected to come into effect by next summer, will permit dancing after midnight.
這項條例修正案將於明年夏天生效，屆時人們將能在午夜後跳舞。
However, dancing will be permitted only if lighting in clubs is at least 10 lux a twilight-like level, the equivalent of a cinema with the lights on, according to Panasonic.
不過，只有夜店燈光亮度達到10勒克斯（照明的國際單位）以上，才能允許在夜店跳舞。日本松下公司指出，10勒克斯照明程度相當於電影院燈光全部打開時的光亮程。
According to the new law, a club will no longer be defined as an adult entertainment business if its illumination exceeds 10 lux, enabling dancing to take place in designated areas.
根據新的法案，如果夜店能將燈光調至10勒克斯以上並指定跳舞區域，夜店不再定義爲成年人娛樂商業。
Police are planning to continue regulation of the clubbing scene by monitoring illumination in dance establishments to ensure it remains respectably bright, according to media reports.
據媒體報道，警察計劃通過監管舞場的照明情況來對夜店進行監控，確保這些地方足夠“光明正大”。
Among those who welcomed the change in the dance law was Kumiko Omura, 35, from Tokyo, who has been clubbing in the capital for more than a decade.
來自東京，35歲的大村久美子十分歡迎宵舞方案的變動。她混跡首都東京夜店已超過十年。
Dancing at clubs has long been associated with strip clubs, but it is nothing of the sort,Ms Omura told Bloomberg. It was a very contradictory law, given that dance is a compulsory subject at schools.
大村女士表示，一直以來，人們將在夜店跳舞和脫衣舞俱樂部聯想在一起，但其實並不是這樣。禁舞是一個很受爭議的法案，因爲在學校，跳舞可是必修課。
