Japan has lifted a 67-year-old ban on dancing, to the delight of the nation's clubbers.

The ban forbids public dancing unless the venue has a licence, and even licenced premises have to stop all dancing by midnight.

The Footloose-esque law was put into place after the Second World War, in an effort to crack down on dancehalls that were often a hotbed for prostitution.

Since then, Japan has developed into a thriving and highly developed nation - yet the archaic dancing ban remained on the books for decades.

Despite the law, dancing, even after midnight, was tolerated in the second half of the 20th Century, with police turning a blind eye to the hard-to-enforce law that was routinely being broken.

The most memorable Glastonbury performances Show all 10 1 /10 The most memorable Glastonbury performances The most memorable Glastonbury performances David Bowie (2000)

First performing at Glasto on its second year in 1971 - back when it was free to get in - Bowie returned to headline the festival in 2000 to a rapturous reception. Afterwards, event founder Michael Eavis labelled it the best Glastonbury ever.



He was reportedly asked to play for 2010's festival, but the appearance would have been Bowie's first concert in six years, since he suffered a heart attack while on stage in 2004. The 66 year-old is back on top form, as his new album The Next Day shot straight to number one earlier this year.

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After the Stone Roses cancelled at the last minute, Pulp filled in to headline the festival. They were even booked so late that they were forced to camp as all the local hotels were full.



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Reuters The most memorable Glastonbury performances Blur (2009)

With some complaining that the line-up was middle-aged when it was announced, Blur discarded any concerns of dullery when they closed Glastonbury 2009.



Their hit-laden set was praised for mixing up-tempo numbers such as Girls and Boys to slow and soulful This is A Low. And of course Phil Daniels popped on stage for their cockney classic Parklife.



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They played again in 2003 and allegedly turned down a spot in 2008 as Thom Yorke said the festival didn't have environmentally friendly public transport systems in place. Nevertheless, their 1997 set was voted the greatest ever Glastonbury headliner in a 2010 poll.

Getty Images The most memorable Glastonbury performances Paul McCartney (2004) With more sing-along hits than you can shake a stick at, 70 year-old former Beatles member headlined a watery Glastonbury 2004 - with a two-and-a-half hour set. The gig was the final date on Sir Paul's world tour, ending with thousands singing along to Hey Jude. It set in stone his position as the most successful songwriter in the history of pop. Never have a load of 'na na na's' been so utterly enjoyable. Getty Images The most memorable Glastonbury performances Jay Z (2008)

A controversial inclusion for some...



After Michael Eavis' shock decision to sign rapper Jay Z for the 2008 festival, there was a negative response from the public, with Noel Gallagher chipping in that there was no place for hip-hop at Glastonbury. Jay Z's cheeky comeback involved covering the Oasis hit 'Wonderwall' as his first song.



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Muse's 2004 set was particularly poignant, as drummer Dominic Howard's father tragically died backstage after their performance.



It's been voted the greatest ever Glastonbury performance by NME readers, with organiser Emily Eavis commenting "People were sceptical initially...it really blew people's minds." Their grandiose set was praised for the theatricality, ending with Plug In Baby - which was also voted as having the greatest riff of the decade.

Getty Images The most memorable Glastonbury performances Orbital (1994) What Jay-Z did for bringing hip-hop to the festival scene in 2008, the Hartnoll brothers did for dance music in 1994. Despite some rockier revellers wondering when the guitars were being brought out, the 40,000-strong crowd truly embraced Glastonbury's nod to the burgeoning nineties rave scene. And Orbital certainly didn't look back as they returned to play several times after. Getty Images The most memorable Glastonbury performances The Smiths (1984) Their addition to the line-up in 1984 sparked a heated debate among die-hard Glastonbury fans who didn't think the band belonged at the mellow festival. Guitarist Johnny Marr said 'Previously, we'd always played to manic, devoted audiences who were more like supporters at a cup final, but at Glastonbury we were playing to people who largely hadn't seen us before.' With Morrissey encouraging a rock n roll stage invasion in the days before barriers, the band stole the show and it was widely regarded as a turning point for Glastonbury. Reuters The most memorable Glastonbury performances T-Rex (1970) Taking the place of The Kinks after they pulled out, T Rex made their name at the very first year of Glastonbury. The now less-famous Blues festival at the Bath & West Showground had inspired Michael Eavis start up a festival on a smaller scale, and he now considers this performance in his own personal top five favourite performances at Glastonbury ever. Will any performances from 2013 squeeze into his top spots? Getty Images

However, into the 21st Century, a string of celebrity drug scandals and nightclub brawls led to a crackdown, with club raids once again becoming common.

Fortunately, Japan's night owls will soon be able to party without fear. A campaign led by world-famous Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, calling for the abolition of the ban, gained 150,000 signatures.

The new law was finally ratified last week, and will come into force next year. Until then, late-night dancing will remain illegal.

The lifting of the ban was partly due to the upcoming 2020 Olympics, with the government taking the necessary steps to make sure visitors have as much fun (and spend as much money) as they can during their stay.

Japan may finally be catching up with the rest of the world, but that other highly-developed democracy, Sweden, is still sticking to its own dancing ban.

'Spontaneous dancing' is illegal in Sweden, and owners of bars, clubs and pubs without a special dancing licence face fines if their patrons decide to take to the floor.