17 'relaxation' establishments raided; 76 high school girls in custody

According to wiki, "The national age of consent in Japan is 13 as specified by the Japanese Penal Code Articles 176 and 177. However, prefectures can have ordinances that prohibit sexual activities with any minor under 18." So it appears that depending on the prefect that you can engage in Enko. We all know the cops are, right? Somebody must have not gotten paid and got angry.

I find it messed up that the girls are the ones being charged and not the owners/managers of the establishments. That blows my mind and I fail to see the logic - wait, you don't need logic here, you just need to wear the right uniform.

Doesn't matter how it's legally positioned; doesn't matter if the girls willfully engage in the activity - what matters is what kind of human beings are coming out of this environment?

There's no doubt now among psychology professionals world-wide that objectification of this kind significantly, negatively impacts self-image, self-confidence, socialization, even appreciation for realizing one's potential. Basically, in the vast majority of cases, and covering all involved, purveyors, customers, workers, it creates broken human beings. Is this what we want?

Doing something about it though is hard - so hard, in fact, that it's taken our entire history as a species to get as far as we have. If you think this is bad, just look at what we all turned a blind eye to a hundred years ago - far worse. Gotta keep on working at it though. Corrections need to be made vertically and horizontally, must include appropriate and effective education, and must provide options that are more attractive.

Sick and wierd, someone actually pays money for this

Without these kinda gals, how can guys get lucky?

There's a lot more to this than it seems...................

This is nothing but exploitation of young girls by consumer society run by mostly perverted old men and modern feminists who say non working females are worthless and parasites. This pressure makes think they need to make money to have possessions (pressure from consumer society) and earn money (pressure from modern feminists). Of course this went on before but it is getting worse due to materialism and other women who base values on earning power.

Well I think we can all agree - though , no, I am sure someone will argue yet again for the sake of arguing - that this sexually based. Of course, these guys and ladies will claim otherwise...

Let's keep in mind though that it's only illegal if the intent from the start was for sexual services.

Consider this, how many guys and girls get together go out on dates and one or the other pays for everything, and maybe buys one or the other some gifts or gives them money. The initial intent may not have been for sex, but it ends up that way.

Well said Yubaru and sfjp!

Akemi, does it matter what age the girls are? Paying for such things is illegal.

This isn't pedophilia people. Note that the girls arrested were at least 16 years old. Not even close to the actual definition of the word "Pedophile".

Yubaru Jan. 30, 2013 - 08:20PM JST Wanna bet? The only lesson most of them MAY have learned is next time don't get caught. The money is the allure and nothing the cops say will stop them from reaching for their easy version of the golden apple.

These girls are not as dumb and naive as they look. These young women that works in the clubs knows the boundaries of entertaining these men within the club. They will distance themselves from the customers that they feel uncomfortable. If they don't know them, and are not sure, most will go stricty by the rules of the establishments until they get to know them better. However, even if these girls are comfortable, and you know they have money, they might not give unlawful services inside the club, but they prefer to give you telephone number and meet them some other time on the outside, like the coffee shop and get to know them better. This way, these girls don't have to share the profit with the owner, and they leave no trails. Many of these young girls will put out as much as you want with generous sugar daddys. Alot of men that has money wants to do it this way, privately. And if they are over 20 years old in Japan, it's more of consensual, so everything is legal as long as money trail is not found.

I honestly have no problem with a few magazine covers with adult women dressed in bikinis. I guess I don't frequent places with anything harder than that on show

I guess you have never been to Lawson or Family Mart then and walked past the "adult" magazine rack. The bikinis are just a tickler.

I do have a problem with people blaming young girls for what is either bad upbringing or poor choices, and demanding the rest of these girl's lives is ruined to teach them a lesson

Yet you would demand that the guys, some may be just around these girls ages too, have their lives ruined for their poor choices right?

I think life has already taught them some pretty tough lessons.

Wanna bet? The only lesson most of them MAY have learned is next time don't get caught. The money is the allure and nothing the cops say will stop them from reaching for their easy version of the golden apple.

The only lessons they will learn otherwise will come later in life when they one day wake up and realize that their looks are worth much anymore and they have little else to fall back on.

I honestly have no problem with a few magazine covers with adult women dressed in bikinis. I guess I don't frequent places with anything harder than that on show. I do have a problem with people blaming young girls for what is either bad upbringing or poor choices, and demanding the rest of these girl's lives is ruined to teach them a lesson. I think life has already taught them some pretty tough lessons.

In the olden times, women were forced to sell themselves as many had no other option to earn money to survive. These days it is done for material things in most cases and it would be assumed that these girls already have parental support. Any comparisons with ancient times are thus invalid.

What i post is hard for some to understand but is true, these days this is ok for women to do and is encouraged by feminists and the media with their image of young girls. I have read many times feminists saying that this type of thing is ok because the women "enjoy" the job and make good money. Then again more traditional feminists will feel that these girls have been exploited and should be helped by society. I am with the tradionalists on this one.

@tmarie

i thought you would be pleased that these females are being liberated and making money themselves rather than relying on a man to support them

This problem is all down to modern culture of consumerism is king and modern feminism where women are told anything is ok to make cash even at a young age. They also have other women looking down on them if they do not work, The proof of what i write is on this site.

Reformed, good point. Enjokaisai girls don't have bosses do they? This issue has been around for decades which is exactly why the term "enjokosai" is around. No one wants to call these girls prostitutes but many are.

Don't know about 16 but back home 18 is a legal age to get married and have kids. It will get you arrested in Japan.

Do remember seeing high school girls walking the streets years ago so it's hardly a new thing. And if they are out looking for business themselves, please don't blame their employers because there weren't any.

I guess it's easy money. And though people will rant and rave, girls at that age do have sex. It's normal. So it's not hard to work out that some girls will go for this kind of work. Giving them a criminal record is ridiculous. If they were getting paid just to give some twerp some thrills, it's his loss and their gain.

Just the police clamping down before it grows. Makes sense. Tokyo seems to be the epicenter for anything kinky, but it's hardly a "only in Japan" thing.

Don't assume about these girls home lives and upbringing. I used to teach HS girls that came from wonderful families, much love, and caring, never a need in the world. Yet some of these girls worked in soaplands massaging guys ego's among other things. Others worked in cabarets, or snacks.

Exactly Yubaru. Similar experience with students and yep, they know exactly what they are doing. I would also suggest that the folks who are naive are the ones that think any differently - and think that the girls in the mags in the store are all over the age of 20. Been more than a few reports of MOTHERS signing their daughters up to pose for such mags. Shame people are so bitter they have to continually attack posts/posters for the name, rather than the content.

This goes on due to feminism and the modern consumer society,

Wrong. The old profession in the world is...? If anything, this is because of misogynists who view as nothing merely than servants and play objects for men.

It seems the youths have been taken into 'protective custody'. (ie: not arrested).

Unless they were caught in the act of actually doing something illegal the police will not arrest an underage person and will always call it protective custody.

According to Japanese reports, raids were made on suspicion of violations of the Labor Standards Law. (ie: not the Criminal Code). Perhaps during investigations, violations of the CC will be uncovered. It seems the youths have been taken into 'protective custody'. (ie: not arrested).

Yubaru Jan. 30, 2013 - 06:57AM JST The police are not going to go after a bunch of 18 and 19 year old girls for working in these places. What laws did they break if there is no evidence or confessions of anything more?

They do. Thet are to use as a ponds to get the big fish. For Police, these young girls are easy to get false confession. Idea of confession or false confession is to go after the owner, or individual that is funding the operation.

Now here is a separate problem in Japan police force. Regardless, there is 99 percent conviction rate in Japan if they want to get false conviction. So even if there were no acts, and if J-Police wants to go after them, they can do anything they want. Do you trust J-police?

The police are not going to go after a bunch of 18 and 19 year old girls for working in these places. Sure they may question them, call their mommies and daddies, maybe(hopefully) scare the hell out of them (probably not) and send them on their way. What laws did they break if there is no evidence or confessions of anything more?

All the cops are doing is sending out a message to all the other places that hire these girls. Just like when they announce safe driving campaigns.

Do I trust the J-Police..........depends upon the "who". Overall? Not 100% no, some of them, with my life! My deceased father-in-law was a J-Cop and I have numerous friends who are beat-cops, and detectives, and former (retired) police, them, I would trust with, and often do, with anything.

@Homeschooler.....

Don't assume about these girls home lives and upbringing. I used to teach HS girls that came from wonderful families, much love, and caring, never a need in the world. Yet some of these girls worked in soaplands massaging guys ego's among other things. Others worked in cabarets, or snacks.

They made more money than some of the teachers did. Some girls were pulling down over 300,000 a month, and they loved it.

These HS girls you see walking around in their uniforms looking so sweet and innocent. All is not what it seems."

Yubaru Jan. 30, 2013 - 05:49AM JST Now then here is a separate problem and one where people are assuming that the act of sex took place. If in fact there were sex acts between any of the girls and their customers then YES by all means charge BOTH the customer and the girls with prostitution and the owners as well.

Now here is a separate problem in Japan police force. Regardless, there is 99 percent conviction rate in Japan if they want to get false conviction. So even if there were no acts, and if J-Police wants to go after them, they can do anything they want. Do you trust J-police?

@Homeschooler......like fadamor wrote and which I agree with I will only add that it's you who are the naive one to think you know what's going on with HS girls like these. Really naive, to the point that, well, if I wrote what I wanted to here it would probably be censored and deleted.

Don't assume about these girls home lives and upbringing. I used to teach HS girls that came from wonderful families, much love, and caring, never a need in the world. Yet some of these girls worked in soaplands massaging guys ego's among other things. Others worked in cabarets, or snacks.

They made more money than some of the teachers did. Some girls were pulling down over 300,000 a month, and they loved it.

Don't be so naive about these HS girls you see walking around in their uniforms looking so sweet and innocent. All is not what it seems.

Charge then with what? Would you like to see these 76 kids have their lives permanently altered with a criminal record? Prostitution is that was what they were caught doing.

First off being under age their records would be expunged when they turn 20.

Now then here is a separate problem and one where people are assuming that the act of sex took place. If in fact there were sex acts between any of the girls and their customers then YES by all means charge BOTH the customer and the girls with prostitution and the owners as well.

BUT, if all the customers did was sleep next next a fully clothed female, while being creepy as hell to me, what laws did either the customer and girl break? The owner? Sure hiring and underage girl for work. The customer?

Some girls will do ANYTHING for the money to purchase latest "must have" fashion accessory. ANYTHING. Their parents didn't do that to them, their "friends" did through peer pressure. Is it a sad reason to sell your body? Absolutely. But that doesn't make it any less common.

Oh, and for what its worth, not ALL parents are good parents and I have never defended mothers who let down their children. These teenagers have been let down, and their mother's need to take a good long hard look at how they raised their kids.

To compare presumably adult women, who chose to pose skimpily dressed on magazine covers, to underage girls working in the sex trade is a little naieve, don't you think?

No Marie, you give yourself far too much credit, Im not morally outraged at women posing in pretty much what my kids can see on the beach, whereas I AM very much so, by underage girls working in the sex trade, and being put into a very vulnerable and potentially dangerous situation, at an age where they should be in education, or training to make themselves a good life. I do find women who end up posing in those magazines to be very sad, and disheartening, to be honest.

I suppose if they pay tax, you wouldn't much care how they earn their cash....after all noone shanghai';s those poor victim men and forces them to pay girls for physical contact.

These girls have been exploited by greedy perverts and modern society. This goes on due to feminism and the modern consumer society, They are exposed to a media that makes them think owning things with a label bring happiness. Feminism is teaching them that it is ok to use their body to make cash, that in fact this stuff is making them liberated. This is a far cry from the old feminism of burning bras of the 60's and 70's. The world is on a downward moral spiral and these girls are a part of it,

So now when you do it, it's okay to blame the parents? Right....

So those girls on the mags are "sad' but these girls are "victims"?

Home, no, I won't take you through the "logic" of it because there really is no point. The very fact that you want to okay T&A mags at kid's eye level because I'm against them...

Take me through the logic, tmarie. Just say you are right, and these girls, these human beings had been raised to be nothing more than prostitutes, how does that make them to blame? Their parents, the school system, Japanese culture, I can see how someone would blame them on taking an innocent child and turning them into a whore.

To blame the child herself, for having the bad luck to have been born into a family which did not nurture her, and, as you say - raised her to be a toy for men in return for cash, well that seems a little crass to me.

How do they know what they are doing is wrong, if they have been "raised to see men as cash machines"? Surely an upbringing so deficient, does not give them self awareness.

These girls are victims, so far as I can see, and their home lives need investigating. I don't know what you were like as a teen, but i sure as hell made some very very bad choices. Teenagers are well known for making considered decisions, and to suggest the rest of their lives need ruining because of poor parental supervision, lack of self esteem, and making a bad choice, is, well harsh.

All I ever see in the combini on the front pages of magazines, as I pass them, are girls with no nipples or bare crotch on show, in fairly revealing outfits. Gives me the perfect chance to say to dd, ah, how sad those girls are doing that job, and my son looks the other way. I am his mother, after all. I dont ever stand in front of the magazine stands looking at them, so its not an issue.

Marie, I dont think you and I have any common ground at all, fwiw.

I bet the J Cops holding these girls will have their cameras ready for a years supply of up skirt photos and groping...

Home, a lot of these girls ARE the exploiters. They've been raised to see men as nothing but cash machines and are just doing as they've learned from those around them. I agree they've been "let down" and certainly need to care with regards to education but I question if many of them suffer from self esteem issues. They know full well what they are doing is wrong and need to be punished. I don't know what some of you folks were like but I was intelligent enough to know right from wrong as a high school student.

And indeed porn in porn. It IS my business though when I see it out on the street and in the shops at eye level of children. Of all people I thought we'd at least agree on that. Seems not. Oh well.

I really don't understand the logic of charging the underage girls. They were exploited, have been let down by those protecting and guiding them, and then abused by the men who paid for their "services". The girls do not need to be stigmatised, they need their self esteem boosting and some decent career and educational guidance. The johns though, they DO need to be dealt with by the law.

Porn is porn, Marie, as long as my husband doesnt bring it into my house, its none of my business what people do, as long as everyone is of a suitable age.

Here's something interesting to read. This is from 2ch, so take it with a grain of salt:

"My Life as a Schoolgirl Prostitute"

A Japanese schoolgirl shares the shocking details of her sordid career of prostituting herself to creepy lolicon online, a practice otherwise known as "enjo kousai," supplying a personal account of the kind of events normally only read about as the endless reports of lurid sex crime arrests which fill Japanese newspapers.

The exchange, via 2ch:

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/%93my-life-schoolgirl-prostitute%94-3370595.html

raids on 17 establishments in Tokyo

Who wants to bet that this is just the tip of the iceberg?

Did someone say something like, Those girls were getting paid for sleeping on the job? Most of us fall asleep on the job because we overwork. What are those guys doing lying next to a young girl? Relaxing?

Totally agree and no idea why you have been thumbed down so many times, although I can probably guess... :( ! These men are despicable.

Because it makes sense and some posters have issues with a few poster.

Charge then with what? Would you like to see these 76 kids have their lives permanently altered with a criminal record? Prostitution is that was what they were caught doing. I have zero problems with these types of girls having a record following them around for life. You think these are good girls who will end up having great careers in Japan? Guess again. If word gets around that girls are being charged, it will act as a deterrent from others doing the same thing. Frankly, I would love that the parents be charged with child negligence but we all know parents are the scared cows here and will never be held accountable for their child's actions.

Community service for punishment - and have their parents pay for their lawyers and the time the court wasted in dealing with them. Same for the JOhns and the scum that run these places - though jail for them.

I need some "relaxation". But bring those 30 year old fashionable ladies please and leave the kids to rippen a few more years. they will walk the same road anyways

@tmarie: "Charge these girls."

Charge then with what? Would you like to see these 76 kids have their lives permanently altered with a criminal record? Or, could we just let them stew in custody for a few weeks, and then release them back into the wild where they can tell their friends how very-not-worth-the 20,000 a day, it is to sit in a holding sell with criminals for 22 days.

I agree with you 100% about charging the owners, removing the porn from convenies, and I'd like to add in a boycott of businesses that use AKB48 (or other sexualized school kids) in their advertizing.

With AKB48 made so popular in Japanese media, what else do you expect to happen? Sick pedophiles having sexual fantasies on "childish" looks and acts; grow up Japan!

Yeah didnt akb do a video version of this "service"...............connection.................likely

Charge these girls. This won't end until the girls are actually charged. Then charge the scum that actually pay for this crap. Then, charge the owners of these place and then close these place down.

And while I'm making a wish list, stop selling porn mags in conbinis at kid's eye level, stop promoting teenage girls as sex objects and stop allowing guys to read porn on public transport.

Totally agree and no idea why you have been thumbed down so many times, although I can probably guess... :( ! These men are despicable.

cjapan - Jcops are likely to have been frequent users of these places in their free time.

Also, if these girls were over the legal age it is not technincally paedophilia.

Finally, has anyone spouting off above actually tried this? If not, how are you all so convinced it is a cover form prostitution? My guess would be that girls could make much more than Y20k a day if they were putting out.

Calling this paedophilia is a real joke.....

And so is theat whole wide spread hypocrisy.

It's shameful that it took so long for this to happen. We all saw the article last year when the establishments opened. Why they didn't act sooner is beyond me!

No customers in custody?

The girls under the age of consent should be sent to jail. That way they can tell their friends that freedom is much better than 20000 yen a day. The sad thing about Japan is, these girls are typical examples of why the workplace is male orientated. Massive amounts of women in Japan actively choose to be housewives and sex workers, because it's easy. No wonder genuine men seeking real relationships want nothing to do with these whores and choose to be herbivores.

Never understand why anyone would go to one of these places.

You need lots of help if you have a need to sleep in a bed with a kid.

Anyone who had been in Japan a while is not surprised by this..... School girls are considered sexual objects and the hiked skirts validate it.... Shameful....

I've got to wonder why they took girls as old as 22 out of the establisments. The 18 and unders I understand, but the adults? And yes, I consider 19-year-olds to be adults. If you're old enough to be in college, you're an adult.

Guys get massaged and then have the 16- to 24-year-old masseuses sleep next to them for a while? Yeah, right. If that isn't waving the red flag in front of the bull, I don't know what is. I guess it's true these days that the definition of a virgin is "an ugly second-grader."

"And" finally this raid is a eye opener for the people who are outside looking in seeing young people detained when the actual sick perverts aren't arrested or punished.

It's a Joke ...good job J-cops! Tomorrows a new day for recruiters and perverts alike !

Instead of finding a wife and having kids it might be preferable for the average male to go and pay for it.....no wonder Japanese has a falling birth rate ....

20,000 yen a day!!!!!! WHAT? oh wait. I earn that a day doing something called my job.

You can't very well arrest the clients of these places, because they should be able to expect that the girls have all been properly verified to be at least 18, regardless of how young they look. It's not a client's job to do background checks.

Someone forgot to pay their monthly yak dues. Jcops would have no clue unless someone tipped them off.

herefornow:

" There is no real moraility or guilt in Japan. "

It is a shame culture here, not a guilt culture. Don´t judge others by your own foreign standards.

grow up Japan!

nedinjapan -- will never happen. Too much money is made by Japan Inc -- clothing companies, ad agencies, department stores, etc. -- by teaching girls there to dress in a kawaii-sexy manner, and by the magazines and establishments that men with fetishes for girls frequent. There is no real moraility or guilt in Japan. Pursuit of the almighty yen trumps any of that.

cramp:

Firstly, I don´t know anybody says that. Secondly, pedophilia is much worse than this.

bilderberg 2015:

" I'm sure the girls had no idea what they were getting into "

Ah, the dripping sarcasm....

its been going on for Years and will keep happening.Nothing new.

Bilderberg_2015, you took the words straight out from my mouth..what else can I say???

and they say pedophilia isn't a problem there?

Japan is missing more than laws that protect minors, it's also missing the morals and ethics that should be there to create or enforce the laws in place. History shows ( comfort women ) that this mentality is stamped into people here and it won't be going away anytime soon. I agree with a few of the comments above. They busted the establishments but it doesn't make any mention of arresting anyone caught ( I'm sure there were pervs there at the time of it ). If men know they are likely to go to jail or pay a horrendous fine with their name published in a perv section they won't do it.

Something wrong with a man that's inclined to sleeping with a minor. Sick sick sick.

Yes Japan Today did post a article relating to these types of shops opening up. Wonder if any of the ones related to that article were raided ??

Charge these girls. This won't end until the girls are actually charged. Then charge the scum that actually pay for this crap. Then, charge the owners of these place and then close these place down.

And while I'm making a wish list, stop selling porn mags in conbinis at kid's eye level, stop promoting teenage girls as sex objects and stop allowing guys to read porn on public transport.

With AKB48 made so popular in Japanese media, what else do you expect to happen? Sick pedophiles having sexual fantasies on "childish" looks and acts; grow up Japan!

Young girls selling their bodies?? Sex?? For money?? In Japan????? Oh my lord!! Big deal!! Old trade on the face of the EARTH!!!!

Yakuza again!

Thumbs down me all you want but I don't think a sixteen year old is a child!!! I don't approve of this kind of activity but this is not child abuse. And in case you wondered, I'm a female!

Saw this coming when we had the report of the cafe where you can sleep next to a young woman, or stare at her, etc...

I think a lot of us said then that it was creepy... seems we were right.

Interesting that Japanese Salarymen supposedly are struggling to survive on 250 yen-per-day lunches - yet many can still seemingly afford "relaxation"/"health" services from children...

Good on the cops for this raid - let's hope it's a more regular thing - and they go after the men not the exploited children.

Yoshiwara in the new millennia.

FPSRussia: "Isn't that an indirect contribution to the problem."

I don't know if you're being too literal, or not being literal enough. The article you're referring to is one in which the people could LITERALLY sleep beside a stranger, not engage in sex with them (I believe it was 30 mins for 6000 yen or something), whereas in the 'relaxation parlors' it is most certainly some kind of sexual activity going on in the private rooms the men are led to. Call the former weird, if you must (and it is, a little), but I don't think it's in any way contributing to prostitution or sex with minors). The latter is definitely wrong, and I doubt very little is being done about it. Personally I'd like to know what's happening to the proprietors of such places. Not much can be done with the girls, save the police take them home and personally report it to the parents (who may not know what their daughters are engaged in).

Society is definitely to blame, but not for the cuddle cafes you mention; instead look at laws that allow kiddie porn (to be owned, not sold, of course), and little girls in bikinis or underwear on Weekly Jump or other mags, 'cos-play' shops where one of the most popular costumes ordered for the girls to wear are the junior highschool or highschool sailor-moon like outfits, etc.

Oh and eveyone note there doesnt appear to be any owners/mangers arrested, they just hauled in the girls

Pretty messed up for sure

FPSrussia

I remember that too, pretty sad society these days, but then hasnt it always been.

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't JT feature a story on these kinds of establishments? You remember the one about sleeping with a stranger? Isn't that an indirect contribution to the problem.

Japan has a serious problem with child labor laws. The HS girls seem to be the ones putting in the most work too.

And I shudder to think about the atmosphere at the local nick with 76 underage girls in the cells

I guess many JT'ers will be in the dark as these are all "dame-gaijin" establishments....

I guess all these places are non-alcohol right! Otherwise the remark that girls under 18 were found should be under 20, no? Actually the first thing that struck me is the number of the raided establishments - seventeen ! Is that symbolic?

Oppssss...I guess it's another underground organizations businesses.

receive massages from high school girls and to sleep next to them in private rooms. Oopppssss... be concrete JT... you mean sex... then this is a prostitution den disguise as a massage parlor.

Is it any wonder why teenage girl bands dress up like sex-kittens in lingerie and what not to sell their albums when there is such a high demand, and most of it goes by 'unnoticed', for such services by little girls? Society here has to put its foot down and stop glorifying little girls as though they are sex objects, be it in magazines, ads, video, enjou kossai, or mother who have hit middle age or close to it and live vicariously through their kids and dress them up in hiked up mini-skirts, etc.

The saddest part in all this is that the girls find it so acceptable and simply declare it as an easy way to make money. These establishments need to be a) much more aggressively sought out and raided (kudos for the police for at least nailing these ones!), b) shut down immediately, c) their operators and any and all staff jailed for up to 20 years. Set an example NOW, while it is still spreading.

When will the police start arresting the end users of these establishments?

However there could be a problem there because the likelihood is that they'd probably be arresting a lot of their colleagues.

I'm sure the girls had no idea what they were getting into....not! Those designer handbags won't pay for themselves!