Exhibition puts Japan's child prostitution in the limelight

Didn't Japan kick up a big stink recently (last year maybe) when someone at the UN declared that child prostitution was rife? Claiming that she was exaggerating, and demanding an apology ?

This comment does not apply to the child victims...

The mere use of the word “compensated” implies the girls seek fun and money, rather than being victims of sexual trafficking

But at that moment during the "date", when the guy says "I'll give you (cash, LV, jewelry, etc) if you xyz" and she agrees, then she has become a prostitute of her own free will.

i have a lot of young female friends, and among them there are quite a few who are doing enjou kousai.

the idea that they're being forced into it is fantasy most of the time. generally these girls have troubled home lives but not to the extent that it should drive them into prostitution.

one girl's parents were divorced and her father was a total loser, but she had a stable home to go to and her mother was not abusive. guess what, both her and her sister were heavily into enjou kousai. i came into their lives and offered to house, feed, clothe, etc. both of them, no strings attached, so long as they stopped the prostitution. guess what? they didn't stop.

these girls are addicted to urban lifestyle. this problem of JK prostitution is a sickness caused by a messed up urban society. you don't find this kind of thing in the countryside.

wherever you are in the world you'll always find sexually charged teenagers, but in the big cities of japan the girls are so selfish and so dependent on money, brands and partying, that having sex with strangers, searching for "papas", working in kyabakuras (which always leads to sex with clients eventually), these things are completely par for the course.

i'd wager 10,000yen that you could interview a hundred enjou kousai girls under 18 and not one of them would tell you she's been forced into it, but 99 of them will have expensive items that should be beyond a normal teenager's means.

I'm guessing this is not part of 'Cool Japan'.

I'm actually more interested in the circumstances surrounding this debt. That could be a product of deception / coercion, but also the product of a deal that would have been legally recognized had she been adult. If it's the latter type, the more productive lesson she should have taken home is the idea that debts are to be repaid, the sheer weight surrounding a debt.

Oh so your logic is that it's ok that she got RAPED because it taught her a lesson about paying debts? The former is more than likely as a pre-teen CHILD would be held accountable for any "debts", if anything it would be the parent or guardian

And even suggesting that "the lesson she SHOULD have taken home" is ludicrous..

At that moment, I understood what it means to feel like I’d rather die,” wrote a young Japanese woman, recalling the trauma she suffered as a pre-teen, over having sex with a man to earn funds to repay what she thought was a debt.

PRE-Teen? Statutory rape....the people that coerced this young woman into this situation should be hung. I can not imagine the pressure and pain this young woman must have been under to believe SHE had a debt to repay.

The U.S. State Department cited “enjo kosai” as a worrying trend in its 2016 report on human trafficking, based on research in which it collaborated with Colabo.

"Worrying?" Right...keep your heads in the sand arsehole, enjo-kosai is not something "new" here and has been around for decades, and your just NOW getting around to commenting about it?

This SHOULD be first an foremost on the table in discussions between the two countries and a stop put to it!

This enjo kosai has been around for many decades, the FACT that Japan does next to NOTHING about means the powers that be, is the LDP & Govt defacto have no real problem with it!

Heck most people in Japan don't pay it much attention, but they sure get embarrassed if the foreign media write a blurb or two about it!

Congratulations for JAPAN TODAY for this brave article, mentioning a very sensitive problem that exists in Japan. The only way to bring to discussion and minimize problems is to make it public for reflection. It is a worldwide problem to be strongly fought against. Congratulations.

In 2014, responding to criticism that it was lax in protecting minors from sexual exploitation, Japan revised the law to ban possession of child pornography, partly in an effort to clean up its image ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Sad, it takes a mega-event for the J government to get off their arses.

"Worrying?" Right...keep your heads in the sand arsehole, enjo-kosai is not something "new" here and has been around for decades, and your just NOW getting around to commenting about it? This SHOULD be first an foremost on the table in discussions between the two countries and a stop put to it!

I think people forget that, ultimately, it is not the U.S.'s responsibility to police foreign countries (even though they try to do so on many occasions). The U.S. has shown that it will not let social grievances get in the way of business ie. Saudi Arabia.

I think this shows the lack of genuine interest in the well-being of its citizens by the J government. I swear that Japan looks like a modern, "first-world" country, but acts quite the opposite at times--maybe that's its Honne/Tatemae? (hehe)

If the government cared about these girls, it would have already moved to outlaw this practice, and devoted the necessary resources to enforcement. If I, as a nationalized citizen, can still be asked to show ID at the discretion of a cop, why can't Japanese businessmen accompanied by schoolgirls younger than their daughters be asked for ID? Japan has an enormous number of cops, and very little violent crime - why are they not on the job?

It would have been helpful to have information about where and when this exhibition is being held!

I hate it when in my place drunk men talk about young girls and use the euphemism lolicon,call it as it is shouniseiaisha!

High school age is not a good thing, but pre-teen is something beyond disgusting and never, ever be tolerated.

First off.... Enjo Kosai / Compesated dating, is prostitution. Prostitution is Legal in may places around the world. That said I do not believe any woman anywhere in the world should partake in the occupation before they turn 21. Usually by that age they know what they're getting themselves into....

Chickens are finally coming home to roost huh? AS I have been saying for an eternity, focus on actual exploitation of real children and underage teens instead of fictional drawings and characters. While in the US we do have sex slavery/exploitation etc. our law enforcement actively seeks out the perpetrators to stop them.

Japan doesn't , and it only gets worse the less they do about it or try to ignore it. All it takes is criminal organizations to start (they actually already have been...) targeting naïve, homeless, and or runaway youths and it just gets darker from there on out. Don't think that the Yaks are the only crew running sexploitation in Japan. Try the Triads and Russian mobs.

This is often not true. Most of the time the girls are being controlled by pimps or trafficking operations and are often drugged, and beaten if they do not earn the expected income.

In Japan?

One of the worst crimes that an "adult" can make. Very destructive to society. We need strong Women to create the strong families of the future.

This kind of sex for debt repayment extortion is quite common in fact. It is found throughout the Japanese entertainment industry and there are so many "talento agencies" that are guilty of it. I also heard that in the past even Avex Tracks was involved in it too.

This is often not true. Most of the time the girls are being controlled by pimps or trafficking operations and are often drugged, and beaten if they do not earn the expected income.

dude... It's either you're not in Japan or you must be reading some sick hentai doujin manga hoping that the above scenario is true.

said it before and I'll say it again; Japan is a pedophile's delight.

And yet I would wager that girls are safer here than in the US. There are 2 parties to these transactions in most cases, and the vast majority of undeerage girls never fall into prostitution or even pregnancy. Contrast that to the US, with all the single mothers, the teenage pressures to drink, use drugs and have sex.

Not saying Japan is perfect, but you live in a dream world if you think girls are safer elsewhere.

Id take that wager in a second.

And by the way, "Enjo Kosei" IS prostitution.

I suggest you come and spend a few weeks in Japan so you can see whats going on for yourself.

Sexual deviance (ojisan) meets materialism (teens). Wrong on all counts.

Just one word in case some Westerners might get on the high horse: Rotherham And yes, I agree that the Japanese police is not doing enough to protect women from shady agencies.

These things are already so normalized

and seem to be tolerated to boot (and NPA is like "none of my business"... there's no 'sting operation' ,FBI style, to speak of) as long as fair-trade practices are strictly maintained (jiisans getting their fix and girls earning the latest status symbol swag).

Naivety is an epidemic here. Parents do not warn their children of the dangers becuase they do not know or belief dangers exist. Nor do school, teachers, friends or employers. They all belief the myth that "Japan is safe" and it being safe, no precaution necessary.

Very true, there is an attitude of out of sight out of mind here, which is not related to this topic, but general work, politics, economics, etc.

The schoolgirl fetish is just that. A fetish and one that is in no way unique to Japan. Prostitution rings exist all over the world and nothing is being done about it anywhere. I would argue that the problem is much more serious in the UK where there has been a massive cover-up to protect high profile paedophiles.

In short this revision of the law is cosmetic and apparently only intended to made Japan look good when thousands of tourists will presumably flood this country to see the Olympics. It is not really for the protection of the girls discussed in the above article.

That's only if the law actually was introduced for the reason given. It sounds more like a reporter coming up with their own conclusions as to the reason for the law, then reporting that as fact. Which then has readers condemning Japan for that reporter's baseless conclusions.

It seems like the term “compensated dating” parallels with "comfort women", apparently just a bunch of willing prostitutes who got compensated properly. Any accusations other than that will be "extremely regrettable".

Reuters: ... Still, critics say the ban is limited to depictions of real children. Graphic images in manga and anime are largely exempt.

Isn't that the case in the USA as well? Due to Supreme Court decision?

These things are already so normalized.

It's like the yakuza - people know it's illegal; yet it's out in the open, and everybody knows where the yakuza HQs are; law enforcement don't really do much save for the occasional raid. It's all so normalized that society just accepts it.

These enjo kosai are so out in the open; they don't even try to hide it that much. There are storefronts and brochures and flyer distributors; law enforcement don't really do much save for the occasional raid. And people just accept it - that's there's a demand for it that's just being fulfilled. It's almost so normal.

@kiyoshiMukai "Most girls are not forced into prostitution. Most of them want quick money for buying fashion because most parents wont give them Iphones and bvulgari shoes"

Does that way of thinking make you feel better?

Never seen a high school Uniform that features a mini-skirt, unless knee length is considered as one.

Now Cosplay school uniforms do feature mini skirts. Most High school Uniforms are rather plain and not sexy in any way.

And by the way, "Enjo Kosei" IS prostitution. I suggest you come and spend a few weeks in Japan so you can see whats going on for yourself.

Enjo kosai, you mean. Of course it's prostitution. Who said otherwise?

25 years in Japan, and I've seen all sides of it. You make the mistake of confusing open attitudes with actual behavior. What matters is what is actually practiced, not what you imagine. I made the point a couple times that underage prostitution is not unique to Japan - but that western countries pretend it doesn't exist even as they passively allow it.

Fact is, if the girls have conscientious parents in Japan, they have much less to worry about than girls with good parents in other countries. Try raising teenage daughters and you might begin to understand.

Yubaru.

I looked and watched the girls go into a toilet and come out with loose socks, make-up applied and a rolled up skirt making it into a mini.

Most girls are not forced into prostitution. Most of them want quick money for buying fashion because most parents wont give them Iphones and bvulgari shoes.

From Mainichi news: "I got pregnant with my father's baby at the end of my first year in high school. I got an abortion and then started sleeping at homes of random men," reads an account by one of the girls participating in the exhibition, while another one says, "People who were willing to let me stay after I left home were either men buying me or customers or scouts at sex-related operations." Another exhibition piece says, "My boyfriend started making money off of me."

Shame on you Kiyoshi Mukai.

The parents are to blame...for not instilling values so that these gals will at least value their body.

Society is to blame...for making people focus so much on material possessions.

Men are to blame...for, well, being men.

And all of you people who blame guys for not talking to girls in a more "natural" way, well, here's the truth. LOTS of guys are just not attractive. They're overweight, greasy, and yes, socially inept. If one of these guys does talk a regular girl, she'll likely shoot him down. If she doesn't, then she'll want to be wined and dined, and there's NO guarantee that will lead to anything. So these guys just do the enjo thing and at least there's a guaranteed result.

I think James Burke is the most "authoritative" person making comments here because he knows girls who do this.

It seems to me that the biggest reason why this happens is that the level of overall maturity of teenagers is much lower than what you see in the west. At least from my own experience growing up in the US, compared to those girls who I met in college, and then the teens I worked with during my stint as a Jet. I mean this in that the children and teens here are more innocent, which means they are more naive and ignorant, which makes them more susceptible. I don't doubt that there are girls that are doing it for the money for the goods that they perceive they need because of the conformist society, but there are just as many who get trapped into it. There are girls like that the world over, but it just really jumps out at you with Japanese girls, and that lack of immaturity and naivety, while amazing at times, could be countered with proper education, both from schools, and parents. And I don't mean just the kids themselves, adults obviously need to understand this as well to educate their children and students.

I hear the statistic that they say 1 in 10 Japanese women have participated in AV and/or enjo, which I want to doubt, but just seeing the naivety of the woman who I have interacted with in Japan over the last 16 years, I have trouble sometimes doubting the statistic.

As for knowing someone who has done it, I had a brief thing in college with a Japanese gir,l who while drunk admitted that she used to do enjo in while she was in high school in Yokosoka. Needless to say, first thing I did was to make sure I had proper protection.

If anything, what surprises me the most is the fact that more girls don't get pregnant, or that STDs aren't more prevalent among them. Albeit, maybe they are and you just don't hear about it.

As for knowing someone who has done it, I had a brief thing in college with a Japanese gir,l who while drunk admitted that she used to do enjo in while she was in high school in Yokosoka. Needless to say, first thing I did was to make sure I had proper protection.

This is a good example of why you should always use protection until you have both been tested - you have no idea who or what a person has done in their past. It's not like you suddenly needed protection because you found out she had previously been doing enjo kosai, you actually needed it right from the start (of having sex) before you had any idea of her background.

Naivety is an epidemic here. Parents do not warn their children of the dangers becuase they do not know or belief dangers exist. Nor do school, teachers, friends or employers. They all belief the myth that "Japan is safe" and it being safe, no precaution necessary.

The first step to fixing a problem is to acknowledge there is a problem in the first place.

Quote: "...Japan revised the law to ban possession of child pornography, partly in an effort to clean up its image ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. " In short this revision of the law is cosmetic and apparently only intended to made Japan look good when thousands of tourists will presumably flood this country to see the Olympics. It is not really for the protection of the girls discussed in the above article. It goes nowhere near the heart of the problem:the miserable thugs who are sexually exploiting girls and getting rich from it.

"Most girls are not forced into prostitution. Most of them want quick money for buying fashion because most parents wont give them Iphones and bvulgari shoes" While I really wonder how you can be so sure of this (really, how do you know?), it does not change the fact that they are just that--girls. They are not adults and should not be judged as adults. Men who pay for this, however, are adult and should probably know better than pay for sex with under-aged girls that are of the same age or younger than their own daughters. You might disagree, of course, but legally in most countries it is not the minor who is held responsible. I do not wonder why. Interesting how this topic quickly turns into judgments about the girls, not as much about the responsibility and character of their male "patrons". It seems that people are very quick to judge how indecent or immoral the girls/women are (they want branded goods!? Never thought that they might need money for anything else but branded goods?!), without addressing the men's behavior, attitude, morality, intentions, etc. As for "being forced," well, being forced to do something can have many different meanings, legally and semantically. It does not necessarily mean that someone put a gun to your head. Plus... Adult magazines, manga, anime (and even the manga and anime that do not specifically target adult consumers) make it seem normal to have sex with under aged GIRLS, by depicting scenes of rape, and such. It simply normalizes what these men are doing.

It would have been helpful to have information about where and when this exhibition is being held!

@bogmyrtle

The exhibition referred to in this article was held in August (Aug 11 to 21).

Here is a link to event details (in Japanese): http://goo.gl/b90p1o

Here is a link to the event organizer's English-language website (Colabo): http://www.colabo-official.net/english/

. Prostitution is Legal in may places around the world.

We aren't in "many places" we are in Japan. In Japan it's illegal, get with the program please.

That said I do not believe any woman anywhere in the world should partake in the occupation before they turn 21. Usually by that age they know what they're getting themselves into....

You have some warped values if you think that it's ok for a woman to "get into the occupation" after they turn 21.

"I hate it when in my place drunk [GAY] men talk about young girls [TO HIDE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE GAY] and use the euphemism lolicon [BECAUSE THEY WOULD RATHER BE THOUGHT OF AS A PAEDOPHILE THAN GAY]"

A real man would be at home with his family...

18 is the AOC and sexual maturity in most of Japan. AOC is 13 actually but most districts set it higher.

Yubaru. My J-Wife taught me all the tricks and what to look out for. Said that haven't been into teens for 30yrs now.

You might also note that I did not contest the culpability of the man. However, while I don't believe for example wearing a sexy outfit means a girl should take partial culpability for her own rape experience, I don't believe that no discussion of a female's own culpability is permissible, especially with how "rape" gets stretched these days.

You re sick dude, justify your comments to make the statutory rape of a pre-teen somehow ok. Deflect, obfuscate, and change the story....

You are a sick dude to even advocate that there is a justifiable reason.

Sexual attitudes anywhere around the world is a problem. Look at how many public figures have fallen due to their sexual behavior. You can imagine why the media is so lax in covering these problems. A clean conscience would quickly reject these problems. It's a battle that must be kept fighting.

Enjo kosai, you mean. Of course it's prostitution. Who said otherwise?

I'm not sure. But there are certain people who have suggested it's a cultural thing, so therefore let's just look the other way.....

This is a good example of why you should always use protection until you have both been tested - you have no idea who or what a person has done in their past. It's not like you suddenly needed protection because you found out she had previously been doing enjo kosai, you actually needed it right from the start (of having sex) before you had any idea of her background.

You're absolutely right on that, and it was sobering enough of a comment to send that impact home, and make sure there were no drunken mistakes. Unfortunately, for within Japan, it does seem that the usage of contraceptives is something that girls are also somewhat naive about...

for within Japan, it does seem that the usage of contraceptives is something that girls are also somewhat naive about...

All the more reason to be diligent about it!

My comment wasn't actually really directed to you - it was clear you had realized the necessity of protection. It was for other people.

Messed up comments. Apparently women are asking for abuse based off their clothes and willingly sell themselves for brands. Some of you need to surround yourselves with better views and scrub with concentrated bleach.

Apparently women are... willingly sell themselves for brands.

Whether you like it or not, this part is true in Japan. Not for all women of course, but there are a lot of girls/women here who are selling their bodies so that they can afford a lifestyle that allows them to buy brand goods.

Messed up comments. Apparently women are asking for abuse based off their clothes and willingly sell themselves for brands. Some of you need to surround yourselves with better views and scrub with concentrated bleach.

While I will refrain from the comment about abuse based on clothes, which is a very divisive subject in itself. (I personally think it can go both ways, and do think the sailor/blazer school girl uniforms have been sexualized, mainly because of Japanese modern society in itself), the fact that there are women, and not only women, but men too, if you want to really be fair, who willingly sell themselves for brands or money to buy brands. Not just in Japan, but every where else. It feels more apparent in Japan due to the strong mob mentality towards brands and fads to some of us who live here, but that is an eye of the beholder thing.

It is just as easy to assume everyone here is saying "all women are to blame for their situation" when they actually aren't, if that is how you want to perceive it. If your view is that all girls doing enjo are not to blame for their situation, then that is your "view"

Messed up comments. Apparently women are asking for abuse based off their clothes and willingly sell themselves for brands. Some of you need to surround yourselves with better views and scrub with concentrated bleach.

While I will refrain from the comment about abuse based on clothes, which is a very divisive subject in itself. (I personally think it can go both ways, and do think the sailor/blazer school girl uniforms have been sexualized, mainly because of Japanese modern society in itself), the fact that there are women, and not only women, but men too, if you want to really be fair, who willingly sell themselves for brands or money to buy brands. Not just in Japan, but every where else. It feels more apparent in Japan due to the strong mob mentality towards brands and fads to some of us who live here, but that is an eye of the beholder thing.

It is just as easy to assume everyone here is saying "all women are to blame for their situation" when they actually aren't, if that is how you want to perceive it. If your view is that all girls doing enjo are not to blame for their situation, then that is your "view"

Should be put in the spotlight.

Readers, please stop bickering. Posts that do not focus on the story will be removed.

If anything, what surprises me the most is the fact that more girls don't get pregnant, or that STDs aren't more prevalent among them. Albeit, maybe they are and you just don't hear about it.

Could it be that "real sex" does not really occur in majority of enkou exchanges? Maybe we should just take "compensated dating" at face value.

Excellent report by Vice.. must watch for parents in Japan

https://news.vice.com/video/schoolgirls-for-sale-in-japan

Sex is so available in Japan! Of course the cops know about it! There are hordes of women luring men into clubs with cute pictures of what is inside! If I know about it then they must do. Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese ! Even the tourists are at it and......still the police look the other way

The young starting young is an open secret.....

Most girls are not forced into prostitution. Most of them want quick money for buying fashion because most parents wont give them Iphones and bvulgari shoes

Didn't Japan kick up a big stink recently (last year maybe) when someone at the UN declared that child prostitution was rife? Claiming that she was exaggerating, and demanding an apology ?

I remember that whole episode, and the whole thing was a farce!

Even a Japanese feminist group have had enough of UN-OHCHR attacks on japan.

http://wmc-jpn.blogspot.jp/2016/02/blog-post.html?spref=tw&m=1

*Introduction:

This year, on February 16th, 2016 the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women held a "Protecting Women's Rights in Japan" conference. We would like to share our opinion on the "Proposal to Ban the Sale of Manga and Video Games Depicting Sexual Violence."

Opinion Summary:

We are absolutely in agreement that the protection of the rights of women in Japan is important. On the other hand, we think it should be carefully and seriously evaluated whether the measures taken to ensure those protections are valid ones or not. If we are asked to consider whether "Protecting Women's Rights in Japan" requires us to "Ban the Sale of Manga and Video Games Depicting Sexual Violence," then we must reply that that is an absolute "no."*

Never seen a high school Uniform that features a mini-skirt, unless knee length is considered as one.

You are right...but again you aren't looking either.

Alistair: : "Didn't Japan kick up a big stink recently (last year maybe) when someone at the UN declared that child prostitution was rife? Claiming that she was exaggerating, and demanding an apology ?"

BINGO!! They'll be demanding one for this, too... or just saying the topic attacks the culture, even though it's a Japanese exhibition. Just look at how busy Kiyoshi Mukai and Kazuaki Shimazaki -- both men -- are trying to blame the women (at least in part), saying it's their choice, and suggesting Japan has no rampant sex trafficking problem when it always has, and is in fact one of the worst in the world. And these are only the Japanese teens, not even those forced from other countries. But whether they want to face the facts or not, the facts are that it is such a problem they have set names for it, and even nicknames! (hence, the "JK business" is a household term here).

"This is often not true. Most of the time the girls are being controlled by pimps or trafficking operations and are often drugged, and beaten if they do not earn the expected income. In Japan?"

Yes, in Japan. The term "enjo kosai” dates at least as far back as 1997 when I first heard the term used in an expose on the "enjo kosai mondai" on Japanese tv while in college here. Many of the girls were so young and/or innocent that they did not know that the activities they just told the reported they do were in fact sexual acts. Didn't know pregnacy could result.

The new law may not for the upcoming olympics but it certainly isn't for the protection of young girls for if it were they would not have taken at least 15 years to get around to passing a law to address it. Besides, child porn is STILL being sold. Ran across some last week in Akihabara. Saw underage asian and western girls on the covers. Thought I was in a manga, store. In fact the first floor was but the upper stores were something different.

Back to the Enjo kosai mondai, for crying out loud, WTF do you think school girls are running around Shibuya in their school uniforms at 2 am on a school night for, tea and crumpets!?!

Some of you folks really need to get out of your ivory tower.

I suppose that some cases of this would amount to "child prostitution", and some cases would be 17- or 18-year old young women taking advantage… why do so many here want to make things black-and-white? (or should I say kuro-shiro).

@sensei…. kinda different situations methinks. I expect that girls DO get threatened with physical or social violence in some cases, but….

Strangerland: "They know the reality that Japan is safe, no matter how much you want to claim otherwise."

No, it is not safe. Nowhere is. You are talking about relative safety, and so you need to modify your stance to say that it is so compared to, say, downtown Bagdad.

"The only type of person who can be justified in making comments that Japan isn't safe is the person who believes that there isn't a safe place anywhere in the world."

No. Again, people can talk about safety without such sweeping generalisations, as you are doing in your defence as much as anyone who says it is 'not safe'. Japan could be the safest place in the world -- it is definitely one of them, on the whole -- but going into a back alley late at night in a high crime part of Tokyo is still not 'safe', nor would the area the person enters be (part of Japan).

Ive met quite a few girls like this, and nearly every one of them said they just want the easy money. Some of them said when they started out, they really liked sex but because they started doing it all the time it became boring, and the only motivation left was the paycheck. MOST of these girls are CHOOSING this lifestyle because they are too lazy/stupid/uneducated (one or more of those) to go to school or learn a trade. Which fascinates me because a Japanese who can speak multiple languages has a huge amount of doors open compared to one which does not. All that takes is a) school b) date a foreigner c) study abroad and you can land a FAR longer list of Jobs in or out of Japan. another aspect which fascinates me is that most of these girls don't even require "Customers" to wear protection. Russian Roulette at its finest.

In 2014, responding to criticism that it was lax in protecting minors from sexual exploitation, Japan revised the law to ban possession of child pornography, partly in an effort to clean up its image ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The bolded part is presented as fact, but I'm suspect. Is there any supporting evidence to this theory, or is the writer just speculating?

[sarcasm]No way something like this could possibly happen in Japan !!!!!!! I don't believe it.......[sarcasm]

So what happens when 18 becomes the new adult age? Will the girls wearing their mini skirts and also being 18 be arrested? The guys with them?

" In 2014, responding to criticism that it was lax in protecting minors from sexual exploitation, Japan revised the law to ban possession of child pornography, partly in an effort to clean up its image ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "

Possession of cp now in japan nets you a maximum of 1 year detention and a 1 million yen fine.

lol is government there trying to make a buck? Imagine how much money the gov will rack up from millions of jiisans there who possess old lolita photobooks from the go-go 1980s to lost decade 90s. Also, the new revised law says a maximum of one year detention, so that means this can be pleaded down to months or even weeks.

Japanese men’s fascination with high-school girls........... is a mental illness that remains untreated and is the root of this disgusting part of Japanese culture.

If I, as a nationalized citizen, can still be asked to show ID at the discretion of a cop

They can ask anyone they want. You, as a citizen, can refuse. Of course, that's only going to cause you a number of hassles (probably just easier to show them), but you do have the legal weight of right to refuse behind you.

Hmm! I wonder if the government have ever thought about how girls in high school dress. I wonder if they've thought that maybe those mini skirts are not be appropriate for CHILDREN. You have these kids dressing like risque adults therefore you can't expect anything different from the perverts. I'm not saying the behaviour from the men is acceptable, but the school system should be looked at as well.

Some of these young ladies, and I won't say most, spend too much thinking about material things rather than learning. When this happens they find themselves wanting more money than their mother or salary man in the family can actually provide. The result...they sell themselves to satisfy their shoe, make-up, clothes and iphone fetish. In the end, they leave school dumber than when they started...without a proper education...then continue into adulthood with the same types of fetishes...thereby becoming a pest to men, demanding their salaries.

To the men who spend more time on their dumbphones rather than talking to an actual person...GROW UP. It's way easier to talk to a woman than it is to play stupid games on your phone, or pay to walk with someone. Get a life, instead of buying cartoon figures and reading porn magazines.

But at that moment during the "date", when the guy says "I'll give you (cash, LV, jewelry, etc) if you xyz" and she agrees, then she has become a prostitute of her own free will.

This is often not true. Most of the time the girls are being controlled by pimps or trafficking operations and are often drugged, and beaten if they do not earn the expected income.

They all belief the myth that "Japan is safe"

They know the reality that Japan is safe, no matter how much you want to claim otherwise.

The only type of person who can be justified in making comments that Japan isn't safe is the person who believes that there isn't a safe place anywhere in the world. And while they are justified in those comments, their comments should be taken with that grain of salt, since in their mind the world is a big dangerous place no matter where you go or what you do.

everything in this place revolves around female school uniforms. it's sick. period.

@YubaruSEP. 04, 2016 - 01:50PM JST

Oh so your logic is that it's ok that she got RAPED because it taught her a lesson about paying debts? The former is more than likely as a pre-teen CHILD would be held accountable for any "debts", if anything it would be the parent or guardian. And even suggesting that "the lesson she SHOULD have taken home" is ludicrous.

Oh my god, at some point even the qualifier "statutory" went away from your speech. Unlike many, however, I do make a differentiation between "rape" involving a man and violence, and rape that's rape because the law says so because more and more things get lumped under that loaded word (which actually weakens the word IMO).

You might also note that I did not contest the culpability of the man. However, while I don't believe for example wearing a sexy outfit means a girl should take partial culpability for her own rape experience, I don't believe that no discussion of a female's own culpability is permissible, especially with how "rape" gets stretched these days.

And if for the sake of argument the deal fulfils all normal requirements for voluntariness, I think it is a wrong message to send to kids that they can effectively flout it or pass all responsibility for it to others (parents for example) for the sole reason they are underage. This encourages irresponsibility.

Apologists will often appeal to the child's "undeveloped frontal lobe" or some such. But if anything, would not underdeveloped lobes mean the message should be as simple and concrete as possible? Is not letting them know they would have to pay for any mistake they make simpler and more concrete than telling them they don't have to pay for any mistakes, yet they should not make them anyway?

sensei258

But at that moment during the "date", when the guy says "I'll give you (cash, LV, jewelry, etc) if you xyz" and she agrees, then she has become a prostitute of her own free will.

imagine you are in prison. Bubba who is 300 pounds and has a reputation for shanking people says I'll give you a cookie for a BJ. Once you give him the BJ you just freely became a prostitute.

This is what happens when you have a nation full of immature babies in their 30s and 40s who never had the balls to chase high school girls when they too were in high school. You know, the way it's supposed to be. The obsession with you girls here is quite disgusting and I would say a bit confusing for a you lass. Grow up boys, try engaging with someone your own age. Be brave.

@YubaruSEP. 04, 2016 - 07:01AM JST

PRE-Teen? Statutory rape....the people that coerced this young woman into this situation should be hung. I can not imagine the pressure and pain this young woman must have been under to believe SHE had a debt to repay.

I'm actually more interested in the circumstances surrounding this debt. That could be a product of deception / coercion, but also the product of a deal that would have been legally recognized had she been adult. If it's the latter type, the more productive lesson she should have taken home is the idea that debts are to be repaid, the sheer weight surrounding a debt.