Supporters of the campaign take a picture with the poster, which reads, "Doctor? Or artists? Save Tattooing in Japan". Photos from Save Tattooing Facebook page

The campaign poster. Copyright: Vesuvius, LLC, Criminal Engravement

Tattooist Taiki Masuda is taking the authorities to court over a 2015 fine he was handed after the police raided his tattoo parlour. The police exploited the vagueness of a 2001 law that says that only medical professionals can perform tattooing procedures, and used it to clamp down on a dozen tattoo businesses in Osaka, Japan’s second city. Osaka's former mayor Toru Hashimoto (who left office at the end of 2015) took a hardline stance on tattoos. In a controversial move in 2012, he demanded that all city workers disclose their tattoos -- and potentially lose their jobs as a result.While other business owners paid their fines and either continued to work in secret or shut down their businesses, Masuda refused to give in. He decided to set up the Save Tattooing campaign to support his case. Two years later, the trial has only just begun. The first hearing took place on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, and there are at least six more trial dates set for throughout May and June.Tattooing is not a regulated industry in Japan. There are no government-mandated health and safety standards, and no tattoo licenses. Tattoo artists have operated in a grey area up til now – a thriving industry helping to drive tourism, tolerated by the authorities, and yet operating half underground. This trial could finally make the industry a clear black-and-white issue.