Police on Monday arrested an 18-year-old girl on suspicion of breaking child prostitution and pornography laws after she was caught selling photos of herself naked.
The girl was quoted by police as saying that she was "looking for some spending money," and based on her mobile phone records, had sold photos to around 150 people since November last year, earning some 1.1 million yen.
According to police, between December 2009 and April 2010, the girl posted on an Internet message board, advertising that she was selling photos of herself and underwear. She reportedly sent a total of 43 nude photos to a Kyoto man in his 40s and a Nagoya man in his 20s for 12,000 yen. Police discovered the girl by using the contact details she had posted on the message board.
© News reports
89 Comments
Login to comment
Canukle
Bwuhhahaah - sorry, child porn isn`t funny but this chickie is stupid.
maryhinge
Silly girl. Fancy putting her contact details up in lights!
BurakuminDes
Umm - WTF? Arrest the girl? How about the two men? Is there any logic to the legal system here?
Rugbyfan
Just another example of declining moral standards and how today's children look for an easy way to make money. I agree with "BurakuminDes", why didn't they arrest the scumbags who bought the photos????
my2sense
The smut in conbini and online doesnt suffice? They actually cracked a joke about this on CSI this season (panties) when the Doc was livin in Japan.
ReformedBasher
Victimless crime.
And 18? That's legal where I come from.
If girls (or boys) want to do this, why not? It's their body and their choice. The only person who should judge them is themselves.
johnjeon
A question from an ignorant outsider: what's the legal age in Japan? In the US, an 18 year old would be legal to do nudity.
Zenny11
Legal age is 13, but each prefecture can set their own age with most setting it between 16~18.
So lets say Yokohama and Tokyo can have different legal ages. Similar to the US where each state sets their own ages.
HTH.
proxy
I think "scumbag" is a little string to describe a man who bought pictures of an 18 year old.
lovejapan21
anyway, from 15 to 24 they all look the same (body) and act the same (mind)..you could easily mistake them
ReformedBasher
20
Mind you, these days I see people in their 30's act like they were in their 20's, and people in their 20's act like teenagers - Japan and overseas, but mostly overseas
nath
is she cute?
paulinusa
Are they trying to say this is prostitution? Or is this a law that includes both prostitution and pornography?
Frungy
I think that she's being arrested because she's been doing this since november last year, so some of the photos would have been of a 17-year-old. Of course it's stupid because in most places in Japan you can have sex at 16, so why should the police prosecute someone for taking pictures of a 17-year-old when they could be legally having sex with a 16-year-old? It's just stupid and inconsistent, but that's the logical result of the international pressure groups who have pushed for internationally consistent child porn laws, regardless of the local age of consent. At the end of the day the buck stops with the spineless politicians who allowed this inconsistent and idiotic legislation.
Pukey2
Why the hell would you pay for it when you can find it all for free on the internet?
djuice
Dang...she was making some pretty good bank! Guess in Japan, that you can't run your own business at 18 either.
Disillusioned
My thoughts exactly.
It is not legal in Japan and most 18y/o Japanese girls don't know their head from their tale.
As far as the 'victimless crime' statement goes: That may be so, in this case, but it is promoting child porn, which is the most disgusting thing I can think of and the penalties for which should be just as severe as those for premeditated murder.
Oh, hang on! This is Japan. It's not illegal to have a collection of kiddy fiddler pics, is it? Only to sell them. If this chicky gave the photos away and charged 12,000yen for postage she would not be in trouble. Go figure???proudnippon
I cannot see crime in this instance. 16 years is age for sex
wontond
I'm surprised that she limited herself to only photos and didn't get in to prostitution. For the record, I'm against child pornography even if she was the one selling the photos. It just leads to certain people objectifying children as sex objects. It's bad enough when 20-somethings girls act like underage school girls, we don't need the real thing.
smithinjapan
I think when a lot of people on here are talking about legality, the problem lies with 'pornography and prostitution' being lumped together. Porn is one thing, although technically with Japan's laws the young lady is still underage, but 'prostitution', and that can be loosely applied here, is something else.
wanderlust
And how did they do that? Do they monitor all message boards?
caffeinebuzz
And how did they do that? Do they monitor all message boards?
Lotsa bored people sitting around with nothing to do...Much like your typical neighbourhood garbage Nazi.
Airion
She meets the legal definition of a child, but not the common sense definition.
nath
remember! Remember! legal age in Japan... one is a child until 20! TWENTY!
don't knock the new J cops! (L&J) forever!
Speed
If she's 18, then they shouldn't have arrested her. She's an adult and can engage in porn if she wishes to.
Zenny11
@Speed.
Legally she is a minor till she turns 20. Crazy I know.
taj
and don't forget the tax evasion.
ReformedBasher
@ Disillusioned
If you read my other comment, you'd see I know the legal age in Japan. My point, which you seemed not to get, was the stupidity behind these laws.
I saw a feminist the other day saying that girls should have kids when they are 14. That is not something I agree with but according to her a) they are physically capable of doing so (I honestly have no idea) and b) it lets them concentrate on career building later on in life.
As for me, I guess people (kids or otherwise) will do what they want, when they want to. As long as neither party are being forced, I think it's their choice, nobody else's.
IchyaWarFare
Wow? Seriously? How dumb do you think they are? She obviously went to a market where she knew she was going to get some fast cash. She did not, for all we know, have any sexual relations. She did not have to mess with Yaks or get a loan that she had to worry about paying back. No worries about STD's or having to deal with prostitution. She knew what she wanted and did her thing. Your ideals may not agree with what she did, as I am sure that goes for most people on this site, but to call her dumb/ignorant/whatever is ignorance itself. There are plenty of 18-year-olds that are doing different things (legal/illegal) and getting by. Not sure when you left under your parent's wing but I am sure you did know head from your tail.
KSB1978
It's illegal to sell or distribute photos of an 18yo girl naked. Despite consensual sex and things are legal at much lower age.
IronBeard
It still baffles me how the age for buying porn over here is higher than that for having sex.
HonestDictator
Ok, she's 18 years old (legally agreed international age of consent as far as I know). Or were the pictures she posted while she was 17? If they're pics from when she was 17~18 I think they're still making waay too much of a deal out of this. Sheesh.
VelvetRosetta
Well it is sad she felt she had to go to these extremes for some extra cash.. I for one ask also what about the men?...But to me at 18 she is of age, but I understand the law...I thought it to be strange that at 16 they can legally have sex...but at 18 you cant show off your body? I know she was selling pics way different than just showing her body..And true what taj said..evading taxes..to me seems to be the bigger issue here..i am not for child porn and can see how at 17 she was doing this it is seen as child pornography...the men should really be held responsible for this as well
@ReformedBasher..I hear what you are saying about being a mother at 14.."not recommended"..I had my first child at 16, and it was not easy, but I can say I was lucky enough to have made a life for myself, I did not go to collage but I did get my high school diploma and I am a florist..maybe not something to brag about but , I didnt just cross my arms and do nothing about it. sad to say alot of ppl, get stuck and GIVE up...
CaptDingleheimer
The two men should be charged with negligence for spending so much brass for some naked photos when there's so much quality smut available for free on the Internet.
goddog
Hi Velvet, we noticed that you did not go to COLLAGE. Being a florist is a good job. You are an artist.
I wonder if this under twenty law specifically states ...and you cannot sell nude pictures of yourself. Maybe she sold the pictures of her in underwear, and the nude pics were just gifts.
bubzabub
"And 18? That's legal where I come from."
The laws are ours, not the laws where you come from.
bubzabub
18 is perfectly legal in Japan to appear in adult films. It's the minimum age.
This also has nothing to do with prostitution, since there was no purchase of sexual services.
Just on the side, you would be surprised to know how many Japanese high school girls get paid to "date" older men. I'd say over half the girls at my school did it at one time. Anyway, damaged goods end up dating foreigners who won't find out about their past.
VelvetRosetta
hey goddog,lol...college..uh hum..clears throat... thanks.. And would it matter if nude or in underwear? And by law you know even if gifts they would be in trouble cause she a "minor".. still dont see why she was arrested,lol
Zenny11
Wonder if she got nailed because the pics were too explicit, ie genitals were shown, etc.
VelvetRosetta
=0....maybe...
bacster
if she is considered minor in Japan, should it be that the authorities also arrest the parents?
bacster
wonder how many policemen went to arrest him?
Chupacabras
One word: hypocrites
KyokoSmile
Just on the side, you would be surprised to know how many Japanese high school girls get paid to "date" older men. I'd say over half the girls at my school did it at one time. Anyway, damaged goods end up dating foreigners who won't find out about their past.
Right on the money I say!!
VelvetRosetta
SORRY IN A HOTEL..
VelvetRosetta
I seen this alot here in Puerto Rico...not the school girl making money like this but hey who knows..but I worked as florist in a haotle here for many yrs, and alot of the younger women would go out with older men who stayed at the hotel for money, I ahd been offered to do so, but no..its to dangerous..most men say 'you dont need to sleep with me'but in the end thats what theyd want..duh!..But sadly a girl got aids while doing this..alot of controversy for this, in the end the man new he had it and slept with her anyways..sick! I just think it is a shame ppl.do these things just becsue of money..it is a necessity..but isnt your life more important?
Brantastik
Japanese society is increasingly gaining on Western society, specifically America's, in terms of degradation. Geez...what has the world come to? An 18 year old selling nude pics of herself for "spending money". For crying out loud...there is no hope left for the future.
So 2012, what do you have in store for us?
dolphingirl
First, why didn't they arrest the men who bought the pictures?! Second, what I find most disturbing is that an 18-year-old girl would think of selling naked pictures of herself. When I was that age, I thought...hmmm, think I'll apply for a job at that pizza joint around the corner.
KyokoSmile
VelvetRosetta, I don't know where are you from but in the 20 something year that I spent living there, I never saw such thing. I've seen 200 times more back here in Roppongi. Be Real.
Zenny11
I remember a story a bit back about a 16yr old girl, that did "enjo-Kosai" to raise about 12man.
Her justification for sleeping with older guys was that she wanted money so she could take her Beau for a weekend at Disney Resort.
Nothing much suprises me anymore.
The girl will regret those photos in a few years as they can surface again.
dreamland
After work, said police immediately skipped over to the local high school for some enjokosai.
Seriously though, she was probably reported by the tax department because they didn't get their cut.
KyokoSmile
Seriously though, she was probably reported by the tax department because they didn't get their cut.
Winner post!! Hahahaahahaha
Fadamor
She wasn't having sex, just taking photos of herself in the nude. Apparently the "child prostitution" charge stemmed from some of the pictures being taken before she turned 18. It's still bizarre how Japan insists that you're a minor until age 20, yet consensual sex is OK at age 18. The whole point of being a minor is that someone else has to be responsible for your actions because you (theoretically) are too young to do so for yourself.
Klein2
Has anybody thought that she was nailed not for posing, but for the SELLING? In other words, most of us would say... oh 18... that is sick! But whatever. The real problem with the first charge is that she was selling porn without a license. It is not the bending, it is the vending.
And yes, some of the photos were of her when she was 17, I guess.
Look, so the other charge comes down to this: if they let her get away with vending just because the photos are of herself, they have to admit that a 17 can consent. That aint gonna happen. So that is where the child porn bit of it comes in.
So she got nailed. Pro tip: if you want to show porn on your website and sell advertising, OK! If you want to sell the porn, you need a license. Either way, you need to certify that the images are of a person older than 18...
usaexpat
Klein: Thanks for the info, I was a little curious about what laws she actually broke. By the way considering nude photos of an 18 year old child porn is pretty insane. At the end of the day this is a stupid case and the police would better serve the public by concentrating on actual crimes that harm people.
alphawolf
kyokosmile:
I see a lot of that, but the funny thing is the real traditional girls are not as adaptable to living in a foreign country than the girls that have been "more adventurous". Still, it is a weird twist.
Icewind007
My American mind finds nothing moralistically wrong with this. But it was against the law. The entire story is meh.
MistWizard
Well what a ridiculous law, a ridiculous arrest and a ridiculous sitution and I see ridiculous people thinking this whole thing is actually doing anything of any good whatsoever. Ridiculous news like this seems to like their inhaler for their constant panic attacks stemming from their ridiculous belief that society is some sort of imminent danger from teenage sexuality. The true danger is the people holding that ridiculous belief.
MistWizard
Excuse me? For starters, I think you got no business speaking for "most of us" when you don't even have a lousy poll to cite, and second, what is sick about an 18 year old? To both points, the web is jam packed with porn claiming to feature 18 year olds.
MistWizard
Please, don't guess in this manner. First you make it sound like a fact, then tack on "I guess"?
And here is a question: If underage nude pictures can be art, why can't a person of age sell nude pictures of THEMSELVES when they were underage? You may not have recognized consent then, but why can't it be recognized now that the person is an adult? The whole point of the thing is to make sure kids are not traumatized, and if they make it to adulthood and they are not, and positive consent has made it to legal age for this, then what in the world is the problem?
ReformedBasher
@ VelvetRosetta Glad to hear things worked out for you. My sister also had a child at 16, life was rough for both her and her son, but then again she was entitled to cheap housing and other benefits.
I'm a guy so honestly speaking, I can't say whether it's a good or bad thing for girls to have babies at a relatively young age. I guess when life was simpler, extended families would help after both mother's and children more than now though, but this would depend on the culture, I'm not going to generalise.
But I digress. Surely an 18 year old girl can do what she wants (within reason). It's her body, if she wants to make some money from it, I say good luck to her. If it was my daughter, I'd raise eyebrows and probably try to talk her into doing something else, but I would be more worried about her getting in trouble with strangers than anything. It's all part of growing up.
ReformedBasher
@ MistWizard Your posts make a lot of sense.
Damien15
Is this a crime? It's her body, there should be nothing wrong with her selling pictures of what's hers. Who's complaining??
VelvetRosetta
KyokoSmile
VelvetRosetta, I don't know where are you from but in the 20 something year that I spent living there, I never saw such thing. I've seen 200 times more back here in Roppongi. Be Real.
In the 20 yr ..you spent living there?... BE REAL???
I Don't what your saying... and i said i live in PUERTO RICO, it is in the carribean..
VelvetRosetta
@ReformedBasher..thank you... And I agree with you to some extent ..(Surely an 18 year old girl can do what she wants (within reason). It's her body) 18... at that age it is normal to experiment and most do as they please at this age anyways, but on the other hand I can see what Klien2, was sayng to be true..
I believe art to be beautiful..nudity can have a sensul side not always sexual or vulgar, but again..to what MistWizard posted I feel it falls in the category in which Klein2 was explaining...
"The real problem with the first charge is that she was selling porn without a license. It is not the bending, it is the vending".
Kameleon
Haha! An amusing story. As if it is a crime in this country....
MistWizard
And you ReformedBasher!
VelvetRosetta, I was mostly speaking toward the child prostitution aspect, although now that I think about it, I may have confused that with child porn, same as many posters here I guess. Hardly takes away from anything I said about how 18 year olds are viewed though, does it?
But as for the licensing I can't see why it should be serious enough to warrant arrest if its softcore pics of herself for herself to sell for her own profit. I would think voluntary questioning and a fine would be sufficient.
WilliB
I have some naked baby photos of myself in the family photo album. So if I sell them that is "child prostitution"??
Jkanda
WilliB, that was silly. It is the intent that counts for these offences
Zenny11
WilliB.
Watch out, according to some posters here having naked pics of your younger self or your kids means you are a Pedophile, cradle-snatcher and kiddie-fiddler.
Plus, you will terrorise and cause harm to your family with showing those same pics later on.
Doh'
Fadamor
And yes, if you sell pictures of yourself in the nude as a baby to erstwhile strangers, then you are engaging in child prostitution. Rediculous? Probably. But the first question that's going to be asked is "Why are you selling them to a stranger?" and the second question would be "Why would they want to buy them?" Unless you have real good answers for both of those questions, the authorities would be taking a CLOSE look at you.
MrDarryl
This is a crime if the pics were taken when she was underage. We are going through the same issue here in the states. The line has to be drawn by age to keep children safe from predators. She should take new shots, since she is of age, and sell those (of course when this situation is over). She'll need even more spending money then and it seems like she isn't having much trouble finding buyers.
VelvetRosetta
MistWizard
VelvetRosetta, I was mostly speaking toward the child prostitution aspect, although now that I think about it, I may have confused that with child porn, same as many posters here I guess. Hardly takes away from anything I said about how 18 year olds are viewed though, does it?
But as for the licensing I can't see why it should be serious enough to warrant arrest if its softcore pics of herself for herself to sell for her own profit. I would think voluntary questioning and a fine would be sufficient.
No not doesnt take away at how they are viewed... And i do agree that a fine should have been more adequate.. But i can aslo see how the government sees it as laundering money.. Which is a federal crime, though if this be the case for her arrest then it would have nothing to do with child porn..child porn i can see if there is proof of pics being bought under the age 18...and even so shouldn't the 2 men be held accountable as well?
VelvetRosetta
I dont see naked baby pics as wrong, as long as it is for a babay album you pass down to your child..not everyone has a disgusting dirty mind.. though ppl may see selling nude baby pics as child porn not prostition, but seeing how the comment was meant with no harm and are of himself, i think its ok..and wont harm or hurt him for saying this, now if it had been said of his daughter or other person it would have been seen as offensive.
I have a few pics of my children and grandson and see them as cute but i would not go off and show them to just anyone..
Zenny11
VelvetRosetta.
Amen, there are many nude pics of me and my sister in the family album. But that is the family-album not something that gets shown to easily.
Like I said if a pic of a naked child excites you the problem is with you and not the pic.
nightvision
18? Child?
On second thought, this is Japan...
VelvetRosetta
Zenny...amen back to you.. yes if seeing a nude pic of a child does excite you, then that person needs professional help, and even then i wouldn't trust ..thats just sick!!!
caribjustice
There is age of majority (adulthood) and age of sexual consent. In Japan I think its 20 for age of majority and 18 for sexual consent. Which makes this very confusing. She is technically a child so this is child porn. However, if she met them in a Love Hotel it would have been ok for them to have sex.
VelvetRosetta
???? oh man that's so messed up...
Molenir
So a girl takes a picture of herself naked, and sells that picture, and is charged for child porn. Sorry, but that is totally wrong. Its her body, and if she is taking the pics on her own, and selling them on her own. The girl isn't selling her self, just photos of herself. Where is the harm? Who is harmed by this transaction? She is obviously not being taken advantage of here. No one coerced her into taking these pictures... So again, where is the harm?
The intent of these laws, are primarily to protect the victims of child porn, and to a lesser extent, to prevent those with pedophilic tendencies, from obtaining these materials for their gratification, with the assumption, that these materials, could cause these people to victimize others as well. However there is no victim in this case to protect.
bubzabub
Women should never be arrested for giving out nude photos of themselves. They are doing us a favor!
societymike
Why no pics?
Ah_so
How can this possibly, in any way, be considered promoting "child porn"? I consider myself to be a man of the world and have a very good idea of the differences between women and children, being married to one and a father of another. 18 year-old girls biologically definitely fall into the adult category.
While I have nothing but hatred for those who touch children (by which I mean CHILDREN, not young adults), it is not on a par with premeditated murder. Equivalent punishments would provide an incentive to kill the only witness to the crime (i.e. the child), as the punishment would be the same.
supernatural
If she didn't post her contact details, how would any of her customers contact her?
And I don't see the problem. You can go to Kinokuniya and buy a photo book full of naked 18 year old girls and it's not a problem. Looking younger, there are books of girls under 10 years old slurping ice cream suggestively in a tiny little bikini or covered loosely by a sheet. How is this really different?
DeepSpace
I am gonna assume the case was broken when a J-cop left his cell phone open on his desk with pictures of the girl on them.
DuraAce
What is wrong with 18??
Elbuda Mexicano
I wonder how many young boys and girls are selling their nude pics, undies etc..for spending money?
sageb1
So when are they going to bust the men?
Garthgoyle
An 18 years old girl selling her pictures. Mmm... Where's the crime here? How about those DVD's of girls under 15 posing on bathing suits?