Osaka man arrested for employing 50 high school girls as prostitutes

Well this is messed up in several different ways. I hope he gets punished for this.

This kind of thing is common here. I can see high school girls walking around with much older men any day of the week in my local city's main shopping district. There again, when the image of a sexualized, high school girl is as ubiquitous as it is in mainstream Japanese advertising, is it actually that unnatural that some men get fixated and try to take things to the next step? Also, from what I see and hear, 99% of the girls involved in such incidents are certainly not as innocent as they are portrayed in the media. On the contrary, some girls openly embrace prostitution simply to be able to buy that designer handbag or new pair of shoes. Unlike girls in, say, a poor African country, it's not as if prostitution is a Japanese girl's last resort in order to buy food or medicine! This sort of thing is a reflection of one of Japan's darker sides; the sexualization of young girls/women, rampant inequality between the sexes, vastly inferior salaries for women and the basic acceptance of adultery here, to name a few.

He should have the book thrown at him...But It's the sheer scale of this kind of report that always amazes me. I mean not two or three girls but fifty!! I'd have thought that most girls in their age group would run a mile when approached by some creep of his age. He seems to have missed his vocation as a super salesman. Then again maybe I'm naive in totally underestimating the materialism of h.s. girls

A second grade high school girl who responded to his solicitations was quoted by police as saying: “Since July of last year, I have slept with around 70 clients and made about 2 million yen. I wanted money for cosmetic surgery and clothes.”

I had to re-read this about 4 times before it sunk in. A 15 or 16 year old girl (when she started last year) sleeping with 70 adults (at around 60 000yen per "session" it would have to be adults [calculated by dividing her 2 million yen by 70 then multiplying by two because the pimp takes half]). It just boggles the mind.

And why? Cosmetic surgery and clothes.... Are the new generation so materialistic and image-obsessed that this actually seemed like a good idea? Sick, sick, sick.

Nikoniko78........I think you've explained it very well.....Thanks for the education...

This goes to show everyone how corrupted Japan is behind closed doors. This guy should be thrown into prison for life and have all of his assets taken away from him. People like this should not be walking around on the streets.

What's wrong? Who's complaining. Let them do what they want!

I am sure the girls knew exactly what they were doing. I wonder if anyone complained.

I wanted money for cosmetic surgery and clothes.

I can't even.... ugh. Why. And this man is sick for making money off of this!

I think the suspect would like people to address him by his full title - "A Pimp Named Slickback".

How can police say he was unemployed? The guy was a friggin PIMP! I hope he rots in prison for the rest of his life! Hopefully he kept a little black book of clients so the police can at least get those (who aren't police of course) off the streets!

Actually, the law protects children from sexual exploitation for a reason. It may not be a perfect system by any means, but most developed countries create laws protecting children because they tend to be more gullible and prone to manipulation. Just because a 16 year old girl doesn't complain about being talked into prostitution doesn't make it right.

This 60 year old man who should know better deliberately preyed on young, malleable girls to make big bucks selling sexual services. These children are not adults and cannot make decisions for themselves. That's what is wrong.

Saying that since the girls didn't complain there's no harm is a relativistic slippery-slope that can be used to justify any crime.

I wonder if he "tested" his goods.

ehrrr, seems he was gainfully employed to me. what with the hate for taking a cut of the income? he did his share and the girls knew exactly what they were getting into. 70 over the year? sounds like she enjoyed her job or she would have quit and prostituted herself for a lower paying job at a respectable company ; )

I find this kind of crime much less distasteful than the child neglect/abuse cases that result in deaths or serious injuries. I doubt any of these girls were forced into this.

He wasn't unemployed. He was a pimp and seemed to be making a pretty good living.

The man should be castrated!! It matters not that the girls were willing accomplices. They are still under age, and immature.

In his defense, they were technically not employees but actually independent contractors...

With employment opportunities plummeting, it doesn't surprise me that more young women are turning to the world's oldest profession. Vice is one of the few industries that's still thriving.

Hey, everybody got what they want! People are just jealous! Heheh....

Japan should just legalize prostitution, it is so stupid for everyone to sell their bodies for the right price but on crying here that these so called underage girls did not know that what the are doing is illegal?? Gave me a break! Just stop the bs, and legalize it, it is the oldest profession on the face of the earth, and it happens all over the world!

2 million yen in about a year is not bad for a high school student.

@elbudamexicano:

These are not so-called underage girls. They are in fact underage girls, legally and developmentally.

Anyway, the argument is not that they didn't know that what they were doing was illegal. The argument is that they cannot decide for themselves to engage in this behavior because they are not yet adults.

I happen to agree with you that it would be better to legalize prostitution. I do not, however, agree that underage girls should be allowed to do it. This is equivalent to legalizing the sexual exploitation of minors.

at around 60 000yen per "session"

I can't see where it says she slept with each of them just once...

And another thing, if she says 70 men, we all know she means 70,000.

NO,they do not know what they are doing, they are being exploited. It is just sick to sanction this.

I find it fascinating that suspects in crimes in Japan are always described by their age and occupation. However, women often escape the shameful "unemployed" branding.

What type of morality are these girls' parents imparting to them that they'd sell their bodies just so they can buy the latest iPhone or a fashionable skirt. Pathetic :(

Welcome to Japan. 70 people 2 million yen. Simple math says one time about 60,000 (split down the middle). Expensive, but no shortage of customers 50 X 70 =350 and counting. There are places that charge 10,000-30,000-50,000 etc. This must have had the luxury tax of an additional 10,000 yen for the "underage" deluxe item on it.

"In his defense, they were technically not employees but actually independent contractors..."

Nice try, but they are too young to make a contract of any kind. He should have made contracts with their parents. Anyway, I am sure that his unpaid payroll taxes are the least of his worries.

Everyone saying that it should be legalized doesn't get it. Even if prostitution were legalized, this guy would still be a criminal for exploiting children and others. Also, if SHE made 200 man, then how much did HE make? So charge him for tax evasion too, because you know he did not declare that on his income taxes. They should go after this guy with a shotgun blast of charges based on taxes, labor laws, child endangerment, prostitution, corruption of a minor, etc. Don't let him skate just for saying sorry for one charge... nail him on three or four and put him away.

You can get married at 16 with parental permission though, so it's all right for your parents to sell you into prostitution but not for you to do it yourself?

Half the cops dealing with this case are probably kicking themselves for not finding out about the prostitution racket before it became public news.....

@oikawa:

Actually, no. It's not all right for your parents to profit from the sexual exploitation of a minor either. As with many things, though, just because it can be done legally doesn't mean it's "right."

Anyway, the article explicitly states that he approached the girls, not their parents.

It's sad that these girls grow up in a society where they believe true happiness is about money, beauty, and plastic surgery, and material goods. The man exploited their weaknesses so he can make a buck.

This is all BS. I'm only offended if the girls were forced into this life. To say that they were underaged and didn't know what they were doing is pure BS. More young girls know how, when and why to seduce a man by the time they're 15. In the U.S. girls are having babies by that age if not younger. These girls knowing made a decision to pursue this line of work so IMO they are not victims of any wrong doing. Not to mention the age on consent in Japan is legally 13.

Not to mention the age on consent in Japan is legally 13.

Is that why the story bothers to mention this?

of whom 20 were under 18 years of age

It's sad that these girls grow up in a society where they believe true happiness is about money, beauty, and plastic surgery, and material goods.

@skipbeat what fantasy country do you live in? That sounds like almost every country in the world. Materialism is what drives the entire modernized world. People work to consume; it's a never ending cycle.

DarkKnightNine - couldn't agree with you more. The streetwise, far-from-innocent girls which were in the racket knew exactly what they were doing. For them to have even been approached by the suspect in the first place, they were no doubt already moving in dodgy circles, hanging out with older guys, probably hostessing, staying out late and drinking etc.....

This story has a huge mistake in it. It starts, "Police on Monday arrested an unemployed 60-year-old man for..." It seems to me that the man is employed, and doing quite well for himself at the expense of these girls. What happens to all of the money that he has made during this venture? Is it confiscated? If so, where does it go?

it's sick these girls sold their bodies for cosmetic surgery and clothes what is the world coming to?

He is not being charged with forcing any of the young ladies... he was really like a coordinator, taking a fee for being the intermediary.

Don't bring your overbearing morals to Japan - let them figure it out. Apparently, many of these girls refer to their prostitution activities as an "abunai shumi" (dangerous hobby), that happens to pay very well.

If the girls were not complaining, and were saving up with a goal (designer bags and plastic surgery), who are we to question/criticize them???

What type of morality are these girls' parents imparting to them that they'd sell their bodies just so they can buy the latest iPhone or a fashionable skirt. Pathetic :(

@netrek The whole world is pimping themselves for the latest "isomething" including probably YOU! We work to feed our desire to consume stuff that most of us don't need but want just to fit in and/or to justify our existence. This peer pressure is even more intense among the teenage demographic. But it can't be denied that it exists everywhere. The difference is now teenagers are being directly targeted by heavy marketing campaigns, so it can't all be blamed on parents. Kids are constantly being bombarded by marketing to the point where they feel like they need the newest latest whatever just feel some level of self worth.

DarkKnightNine,

@skipbeat what fantasy country do you live in? That sounds like almost every country in the world. Materialism is what drives the entire modernized world. People work to consume; it's a never ending cycle.

It's happens all around the world because people bought into the gimmick of marketing.

@jamal2609

You didn't get the sarcasm in my post did you :)

I don't have an issue with souless little skanks selling their bodies to souless men. Let them blood suck each other down the abyss for that's what they chose.

I could see him talking to the girls on their first encounter. you will make good money, my cut is 50%. Young girl agrees and she's hired

@oikawa:

Sorry, I didn't catch it. After reading several posts that were condoning child prostitution I got a little distracted.

Folks, even if you have no qualms going out and having sex with children that tell you they are OK with it, please know that Japan has a law against prostitution with children under the age of 18. The penal code may very well say that the age of consent is 13, but you can still run afoul of the law. CoinLaundry picked up on this in an earlier post.

@netrek The whole world is pimping themselves for the latest "isomething" including probably YOU!

Hey, DarkKnightNine. The whole world is pimping themselves out? Really? I think most people are just trying to get by. Yeh, so marketing campaigns are targeting youth, but this tiny minority of girls out of the entire population of this age bracket are NOT representative of how all of these girls act. Period. Their parents either do not care all that much (but once they learn the news about their arrests or detention, they WILL I assure) or they are too busy being worked into the ground. A tiny, tiny minority is doing it.

an unemployed 60-year-old man

He was employed, most likely yakuza that didn't pay protection money or not giving enough of his share away to the bosses.

Sorry, I didn't catch it. After reading several posts that were condoning child prostitution I got a little distracted.

Have to admit, this bothers me almost more then the actual story about underage girls selling themselves. Adults condoning this behavior, indeed attempting to justify it, sickens me. I think it says a lot more about them and society then anything else.

Prostitution is leagal here, but not with someone under 18. So the fact that the age of concent is 13 doesnt matter if money changed hands. Thats why the article mentions that X number of the girls were under 18 at the time.

David43525.

Prostitution in Japan is defined as penetration/joining of the sexual organs = carnal intercourse and that is illegal.

Oral sex, etc is legal and thus not prostitution even if in exchange for money.

I see like Mikanojo said a lot of posters are NOT informed about what is legal and what is not in Japan.

"You can get married at 16 with parental permission though, so it's all right for your parents to sell you into prostitution but not for you to do it yourself?"

Great. Marriage = selling a daughter into prostitution? I think you have a logical problem there. Also, I really wonder what city prefectural office would let a child be married against her will to some old creepy guy, even with daddy's hanko.

"If the girls were not complaining, and were saving up with a goal (designer bags and plastic surgery), who are we to question/criticize them???"

I have heard this in so many ways and forms that I really have to ask, are all the people saying, "Hey it's no big deal" willing to let me jump their little sister, their wife, or their mother? And if not, why not? What if she wants me? What if I give her 10000 yen? Is it ok then?

And if those questions offend you, ask yourself why.

I suspect that there are too many creepy misogynistic guys in Japan who never had a healthy relationship with a woman. Every time one of these stories comes up on JT, they are out in droves willing to justify exploiting any old female they can.

They should arrest the men who paid for sex with these underage girls as well as the pimp: no Johns, no prostitution. Law enforcement worldwide seems to have a problem with this concept, as those paying for sex are rarely arrested.

There is something really disturbing, though, about teenagers prostituting themselves to get cosmetic surgery and branded goods. There seems to have been a continuum for some years in some young Japanese women's activities ranging from "enjo kousai" to the "abunai shumi" where selling sexual activity to fund shopping seems to be acceptable.

Tiresias.

Agree, values are skewed. Remember one story where a teenage girl slept with older guys to raise money - now get this - to take her teenage boyfriend for a weekend at the Disney Resort as he lacked the funds.

Sex for many of those girls means nothing and is often used to get monies for things they want. And they fully know and understand what they are doing.

Not saying sex in exchange for monies/favors/etc is an alien concept to the rest of the world, far from it.

Heck I knew many girls at school when I was a teen that did similar things with teachers, etc.

If young girls prostitute themselves it is sick. And this situation will not improve just because they get money to buy some stuff they want but do not need. And it will never change unless people stop to call this "normal".

@Zenny11

Oral sex, etc is legal and thus not prostitution even if in exchange for money.

Dude, really?

This may sound a bit crass, but this guy showed exactly the kind of entrepreneurialism this country needs...

gaijinfo.

It is. I spend quiet a few years with my local guardian angels chapter.

Carnal intercourse is ILLEGAL, other forms are legal. Heck I recall guys standing in front of sunshine city holding up posters that proclaimed their ladies would lick the Kin-tama, etc.

Of course any sexual activity involving underaged people, is a NO-NO of course.

And I guess that is why the guy was nailed, and the underage girls will still be doing business.

Are the men who did it with these girls going to be prosecuted, too? They kind of broke the law here.

The largest crime here is that the guy robbed the girls of 50 percent of their money!

The age of consent was originally raised, among other measures, to combat the sexual slavery of children and teens back in the 19th century in Europe and America. And this "white slavery" was running rampant, and as such, those were effective measures. Left to their own devices, too few men can be trusted to be decent. But the days of widespread white slavery are over, and they are not coming back in today's far more stable society, yet, the old measures linger. The laws were created to tackle a specific problem, now the laws have created a messed up morality just for being on the books. Its high time they were repealed and replaced with sensible laws, ie, I could see this guy getting 5 percent, while ten percent was used for staff to assure the safety of the prostitutes. Also, such a business needs a clear structure for safety reasons.

But acting like these girls are innocent waifs is just laughably stupid. So is acting like sex is some damaging destructive force. Its 2010, not 1860. Sex is safe and fun with just a little precaution.

Tiresias said: There is something really disturbing, though, about teenagers prostituting themselves to get cosmetic surgery and branded goods.

So I suppose you prefer they trade for goods and services like any husband or wife? Did you even think that you take sex FAR too seriously? Mind you, you are welcome to. Just don't expect the rest of us to do so and lead hum-drum lives like so many of the moralists do. When they die, they will go to heaven. Most of the rest of us won't go anywhere, so we have enjoy life while we got it.

Yeuch!16-17 and already slept with 70 people! Way to start your adult life off!

What we shouldn't forget is that a teenager's brain is not finished developing yet. The prefrontal cortex which is involved in reasoning and decision making is still not done growing. This is why teenagers tend to take risk and sometimes make bad decisions. This is why a teenager's parents should be looking out for her and guiding to to make good decisions. This dirty old man took advantage of these young girls. No doubt about it. Sure teens they may think they know what they are doing, but it's very likely that they haven't considered the consequences.

As for mature adults involved in prostitution, well, that is another matter...

dolphingirl.

Not disagreeing, but why blame a guy for hiring girls that weren't raised properly. As was said there was no force, etc.

Not like teenage prostitution exist only in japan. Recall many old songs by Bon Jovi, etc about it.

Zenny11: It doesn't matter if these girls were raised 'properly' or not and it doesn't matter if they were forced into it or did it by choice. The point is these are young girls who should be protected by the responsible adults in the society not taken advantage of by scumbags. Although I do wonder where the parents were while their daughters were out having sex with strangers for money, a girl could have the best parents and still be lured into prostitution. Most of the blame lies on the pimp.

Dolphingirl.

100% off the mark, the parents failed those girls, NOT the society or the guy they hooked up with.

Can't blame anyone except parents.Parents should know what their children are doing.

Parents should do more than protect their kids, they also need to educate them in the ways of the world and how to recognise/avoid them.

And yes that includes teaching them about the way of vices(recognise them) and sleazeballs out there and how to behave when they meet them.

It is rather cheap to criticize the parents. In a society where everybody is used to conform to the majority from kindergarden on,what influence do parents really have? Of course you have to blame the guy who hired the girls, and to a degree also a society that is far too lenient and has nothing else to offer to young people than designer goods.

sojherde.

That is EXACTLY the excuse used by most people today, i.e. not my problem fault look elsewhere for the blame. Everybody else does it so I am good doing it too. Yadda, Yadda.

Not saying the guy is blameless but could he sign a girl that was properly educated and wise to his ways?

Good thing my parents didn't know what I was up to when I was young(er)... would've been baaaaaaad! And it wouldn't have been my parents' fault either, just mine, my own fault... No one else's...

Sorry Zenny. Going through life justifying bad behavior by blaming it on somebody else's bad choices or weaknesses is not cool. Taking advantage of weak people and letting others do so is wrong.

Because the parents made a mistake, it lets the pimp off the hook? No.

Those girls are our daughters, sisters, and friends and anybody taking advantage of them is an affront. Once you say it is ok for their'n to be exploited, you are saying it is ok for someone else to prey on your'n. You are old enough to know that you can't build a better society without looking out after other people.

Klein2.

Read what I wrote you got it 100% reversed. I said exactly that is the parents that failed.

And I am not saying that the underaged girls are angels. I am saying it makes no difference. They deserve the same chance to be normal people that everyone does. They should be protected by the law ESPECIALLY because no one else appears to be protecting them.

Charge the guy, charge the girls, charge the johns. Japan will not get rid of these disgusting types unless all face charges. These girls are not naive and know what they are doing. Start charging them and I think the numbers would drop. While they are at it, they can charge their parents as well. Might make the parents take more of an interest as to where Miho got her brand bag.

Yes Mist Wisard sex is a game, to preditory men out for only one thing - another notch on their bed post. Form the rest of us, sex does carry an emotional attchment only if you've matured enough to reach that point that women are not sex objects but equal human beings deserving of respect, like you are - I suppose..

Another entrepreneur stopped in his tracks by the government! How will the economy EVER recover?! (Sarcasm, in case it was missed)

I'm confused about something. If you're a minor until age 20 in Japan, then why does the article delineate the number of high school student prostitutes who were younger than 18. Wouldn't all of the high school students be minors? Is there actually a "you're a minor (but not really)" category from 18 - 20?

Japan age for becoming and adult is 20. At age 18 you can drive a car and have legally sex(varies between districts), you can also join the Defense force.

Many countries got similar regulations, what age to you become an adult in most US states/ etc yet the age for sex is set at 18 in many places. Usually age of consent is set lower than adulthood.

@Klein2 I didn't explain my comment but you haven't understood it just like jamal didn't. I didn't say marriage equals selling a daughter into prostitution as you implied. The point was how is it possible for a 16-18 year old to be supposedly unable to make a decision about whether she will have sex with someone but her parents are able to make the decision that she is able to get married? She can't have sex of her own volition but she can be a wife and mother (which would in most cases assume a bit of sex going on)?

Don't understand why anyone would want to pay for anyone near the age of consent. Suppose it's the easy way, instead of using your charm/good looks to get one ;)

"I have slept with aroud 70 clients and made about 2 million yen"

That's around 29,000 yen a client.

Why after 10 years? Was the guy satisfying the cops so long and something screwed up now?

Wow !!! I've seen this same pimpstyle action at Utsunomiya !!!! Every major train station has this sort of action. An old man looking homeless with many high schools girls even junior high school girls around him. It'S very sad !!!!! Some of these kids are from broken homes or with parents who dont care.

takes two to tango. he didn't force them..

In a region of the planet where underage sex and prostitution have gone hand-in-hand for thousands of years just how successfull do you think the imposition of western morality will be?

By western standards it's reprehensible for children to be sold for sex acts. Yet most western countries have active and very lucrative human trafficing venues that specialize in underage sex partners.

So, take a good long look at what's going on in your home nations before you bash Japan too much.

I think the most interesting thing about this piece of news is that the aggregate total over 10 years was included in the headline. Fifty girls sounds shocking, and rightly so. But 50 girls over ten years is 5 girls a year, 2 of which (on average) are underage at any given time.

This is not some miracle pimp managing a stable of 50 underage girls. This is a two-bit operator, part-time by the sounds of it.

Prostitution is a temporary occupation for the majority. People come and go. Many get sick of it quickly. Many have financial goals that get met and they 'retire'. So just because he introduced an average of five girls a year to his gig, does not mean that all five were working for him throughout the year. Even if we carry over some who did this 'abunai shumi' for more than a year, we are still left with paltry numbers. My guess? He had about four girls on his active roster, one to two of whom were underage at the time. Pure supposition of course, but I'd bet my copy of Freakonomics on my calculations.

So how much was he earning? Here's another rub (so to speak): The girl quoted above was probably his star player (and probably the reason he got caught). She states a personal income of 2 million yen over the year. Fair enough. But her income is in all likelihood the top by far among her temporary sisterhood. Indeed, it is downright newsworthy. The other girls did not make that much if we take Pareto into account (he of the 80-20 observation and all that). We could go so far to assume that this one eminently quotable girl was pulling in three times as much as the three other girls combined!

So I reckon the smooth old coot was pulling in an average of 2.9 million yen a year from his illicit introduction service. Untaxed to be sure, but not really stellar numbers.

he kickes butt...too bad he got caught..

i don't care about western values in this regard, asians are supposed to embody stricter moral values...apparently this has been debunked in japonais.

Just look at their talent: gravure, akb48, ske48 etc...u really see them as having real talent then you're delusional...sure, underage girls in minis prancing around, selling photobooks, etc, then graduating to gravure. Their society approves it and encourages it so i don't why this man should be found guilty.

On a different note, it stands to reason that his first 'contract workers' are now in their late 20s and long out of the game. Most likely some are OLs, some are even married. How many know this man has been arrested, and how many are losing sleep over it? Does the vice squad have just their stage names and the ages at the time, or does it have everyone's current name and address?

I can imagine some young husband somewhere calling to his wife over his shoulder: Honey! There's some cops here to see you!

Zenny,as long as you just blame the parents and bad education, nothing will change. You just say :"shikataganai" while this nation is going down the drain? I am not sure if that really is OK.

There is something about a 16/17 year old girl having slept with 70, SEVENTY men that just strikes me as plain wrong. How used and washed up must she feel?

There is something about a 16/17 year old girl having slept with 70, SEVENTY men that just strikes me as plain wrong. How used and washed up must she feel?

Japan isn't quite as into that medieval puritan nonsense as europe and America - and what homegrown "puritanism" exists has a different flavor too. Rather than feeling "used and washed-up" the woman is probably happily counting her thick wad of money and looking forward to a wider variety of fun in her future.

sojherde.

No I am realistic and see where the root of the problem lies. Till people get the gonads and are willing to change themselves nothing will change.

These girls know exactly what they are doing. This guy is just providing them direction and clientele. My ex told me when she was in high school her friends did this all the time. She is 30 now. They would find older guys...and perform sexual favors for money. This has been going on forever and will NEVER stop. BTW this is not only a Japan specific "problem". Worldwide....World oldest profession.

There are countless guys you will see near eki everywhere standing near the omise and calling customers. He is well just one of them, so for me this is not a news at all. Its not a forced act i believe. But where the hell are their parents, this is just a rediculous example of non attachment between the parents and these girls. In densha i see teenagers traveling at night like chanella onna. Where are they going and what are they doing. Only God knows. i wont allow my daughter to travel at night like this. So whome to blame... I hope all knows.

There is something about a 16/17 year old girl having slept with 70, SEVENTY men that just strikes me as plain wrong. How used and washed up must she feel?

Not necessarily at all. She contacted HIM about the profession, not the other way around.

"Jbeezy", I partly agree with you. Children are not innocent and can be as calculating as an adult. Still, these guys are nothing but hungry wolves preying on lost sheep!

Not saying that they are neccesarily right for pimping these young girls. But some people need to give up the holier than thou attitude. Also, I'm not gonna lie...if a 17 yr old girl wanted to give it up to me....it would be very hard not to take it. If she was 18, I would take it. I understand these losers are different as they are paying for it. I just thought I would throw that out there....

Reading this makes me feel even more committed to loving and guiding my own daughter.

ikkochan said: Yes Mist Wisard sex is a game, to preditory men out for only one thing - another notch on their bed post. Form the rest of us, sex does carry an emotional attchment only if you've matured enough to reach that point that women are not sex objects but equal human beings deserving of respect, like you are - I suppose..

My first post clearly indicated respect. They deserve to receive proper pay and have proper protection. Its the people who make the job of prostitution illegal who have no respect. They offer prostitutes absolutely nothing.

Over 10 years, 50 girls, over 70 clients and no reports of abuse, disease or complaints. Seems to me the only "problems" are figments of the imagination of people who refuse to see. Enough with the "supposings". Look at the gaping hole where the problems are "supposed" to be.

I don't see this stopping in Japan. On one hand, you have a client base (of quite considerable size) who are more than happy to part with a little hard earned to get their hands on an attractive young woman, and you also have a savvy cross section of teenage girls who know exactly how to use their allure and appeal to make money. To fuel this fire, you have whole industries of Manga and Porn (that seem pretty widely read/viewed) that lean heavily on the 'Schoolgirl fetish' genre. I guess the question for me is this. Does this serve to perpetuate the problem, or is it's existence as a result of this kind of prostitution in the first place? Or, is this some kind of historical cultural practice in Japan?

@MistWizard:

Which is why I agree with legalizing prostitution.

@oikawa:

I did understand your comment, maybe better than you realize? The 16 year old is not making the decision to get married, his/her parents are. The reason is because the 16 year old can't make that decision. That's the point. Just because it's legal doesn't make it right.

@Hyperjump:

In a region of the planet where underage sex and prostitution have gone hand-in-hand for thousands of years just how successfull do you think the imposition of western morality will be?

Perhaps you should ask the Japanese government -- they've made laws protecting minors from prostitution. Underage sex and prostitution are not exclusive to non-western society, either. Societies all over the world, not just western ones, have decided having minors sell themselves for money is generally a bad thing, and they've made laws to deter people from doing this.

I'd like to take this to the next logical step. Since there are several posters here who feel it's just fine for a minor to engage in prostitution, I'm curious. If an 8 year old child wants to engage in sex for money is that OK with you as well? My question is, if all that's required is the consent of the child to make it OK, is having sex with a 2 year old acceptable? There are plenty of sexual predators out there who would definitely take advantage of this opportunity.

If not, what is the age minimum? Is there any?

MistWizard: "Over 10 years, 50 girls, over 70 clients and no reports of abuse, disease or complaints. Seems to me the only "problems" are figments of the imagination of people who refuse to see. Enough with the "supposings". Look at the gaping hole where the problems are "supposed" to be."

How many do you reckon have gone out and gotten tested? Just a thought. I'm curious to see what kind of punishment this man will get. My guess is very little.

Simply amazing! We proudly teach our daughters not to give it away for free and then criticize them for listening. Whether you marry 70 men for money or just charge by the hour, it is all the same thing. Even in the 60's people were promiscuous for enjoyment and not for cash.

So the guy will go to jail n the girls will be free victims with millions of yen?because they r children?17y.o children?very fair.

Most of the comments here are made by western people of a generation where we were taught subconsciously that all men are rapists and pedophiles and all women are pure. But women are just as horny as men, and animals. The days of looking at a women as the bastian of purity are long dead. Still people out there claim that porn exploits women etc, as if the women are somehow coheresed into performing. Well I tell you these little harlots enjoyed every second of the money they took and never gave it a second thought and have no lingering harm done to them. One day they will marry an unassuming gaijin or salarybot and raise kids. No big deal.

@afroengineer:

He broke the law and is an adult. That's justice. It doesn't have to be fair.

@bobbafett:

Did you consider that maybe the comments are being made here by people that think children require extra protection from adults because they are usually not developed enough to make good decisions for themselves? This argument applies to boys as well as girls, but we are talking about girls now because they are the ones selling themselves in this article.

Once someone is mature enough to make their own decisions and they decide to sell themselves for money then more power to them. The problem is it's almost impossible to determine whether someone is mature enough to make their own decisions. That's why the law is based on age -- it's imperfect, but it's as close as you're going to get.

gogogo: Who DOESN'T pay yakuza???

Klein2: When you use the verb "jump", it becomes akin to rape. I doubt any woman of any age wants to be 'jumped'. Maybe you are the one who has never had a healthy relationship with a woman?

IF a woman/girl consents, who are you to question her judgment? What is it that really bothers you about this topic? MOST of these teenage prostitutes will grow up to become wives and mothers - very normal, if you ask me.

I also do not eat Whale or Dolphin, but I do not presume to tell Japanese people NOT to eat it if they want to.

sojherde: JAPANESE people call this normal. Maybe you should start your education campaign there first.

dolphingirl: So change the law. Arrest the girl offering sex AND the client buying it. Maybe arrest the child's parents too?

chotto: Japanese morality is different than western morality. I seriously doubt that these girls feel 'used up'. They are not emotionally invested in their encounters, so they typically would focus on the things they can buy with the money they make.

Japan is the global HQ for kiddieporn, and you people are worried about consenting teenage girls??? MY rage starts with exploitation of NON-CONSENTING kids under the age of 10!!! THAT is a crime!

THIS WILL CONTINUE!!! Older Japanese men have the money, so their needs will be met! Companies keep their employees working horrid hours, stress is high, so 'he who can pay for it, does' is the law of the land.

This is the country that invented eating sushi off of a young, naked girl... you really have to adjust your radar when you discuss morals and Japan in the same sentence.

dolphingirl: Zenny11: It doesn't matter if these girls were raised 'properly' or not and it doesn't matter if they were forced into it or did it by choice. The point is these are young girls who should be protected by the responsible adults in the society not taken advantage of by scumbags. Although I do wonder where the parents were while their daughters were out having sex with strangers for money, a girl could have the best parents and still be lured into prostitution. Most of the blame lies on the pimp.

The parents are 25% at fault. The girls are 25% at fault. The guy is 25% at fault. The men are 25% at fault. Society, marketing, and their peers are three factors of peer pressure. Like one of the girl said, "I wanted money for cosmetic surgery and clothes.” If the girls want more than what their parents can afford who is at fault here? The conclusion is the girls were never taught to respect their body and uses their body to get what they want.

What do the parents have to say about this? What do the girls have to say about this? What about the men who are having sex with the girls have to say about it and are they a father too? Without the men who are looking for sex then there wouldn't be girls as prostitutes. Supply and demand.

Are people forfeiting their health and well being for instant gratification?

Japanese morality may be different from "western" morality, but on the subject of child prostitution there seems to be quite a bit of agreement. Please check out Article 34 of the Child Welfare Law.

If you won't draw the line at the age of 18 then where will you draw the line? If she's old enough to utter the word "yes" then she's old enough to consent to sex?

Hmm, if a 12-16+girl (or boy) is old enough to consent to sex, then they should also be old enough to work a full time job right? They should also be old enough to buy a house, drive a car, drink beer, smoke etc. They're ADULTS in body & mind according to some of the posters here. There is no reason why their adult parents should have any say in what their children (now adults) can or can't do right? That means there is also no reason for these young "adults" to keep going to school or get everything on their adult parents dime or keep living under the parents roof.

Prostitution is mostly forced on people one way or another.

For those who are interested, please also check Jidō baishun, jidō poruno ni kakaru kōi tō no shobatsu oyobi jidō no hogo ni kansuru hōritsu, or "Law for Punishing Acts Related to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and for Protecting Children." This is another Japanese law that explicitly forbids child prostitution. Under these laws, a "child" is defined as someone under the age of 18. As you can see, the morality of protecting children from child prostitution isn't just limited to the "West."

I think HonestDictator points out well the problems that happen when children are permitted to make these decisions for themselves.

HonestDictator said: Hmm, if a 12-16+girl (or boy) is old enough to consent to sex, then they should also be old enough to work a full time job right?

What does that or anything else you wrote have to do with sex?

Prostitution is mostly forced on people one way or another.

Well, if you want to go that direction, I am forced to teach English in order to obtain food. I get your point that prostitution is often forced, but mostly is a stretch. But it was that very reason why I suggested limits on what the pimps could take. The primary reason why prostitutes are forced like no other profession is because they are denied basic rights and respect, not from the pimps alone, but society as a whole. By legal force, that needs to change.

smithinjapan said: How many do you reckon have gone out and gotten tested? Just a thought.

About all that could go unnoticed for years is being a carrier of AIDS or herpes with no symptoms. Most people have some form of herpes with no symptoms, and if you got symptoms, they won't go unnoticed, same with any other disease save for HIV. Aside from those two, what else is incurable? Hepatitis? But if you just use a condom properly you can avoid hepatitis and AIDS easily. Sex is only dangerous if one is a blithering idiot with no self control. Being in a car is more dangerous. Walking near cars is more dangerous!

Even so, I would rather these girls were in a relationship with a sugar daddy than servicing so many guys for cold cash. But since the former is also illegal, no surprise the johns go for the more anonymous with the latter. Even so, about the only thing one could have for 5 years and not know is HIV. And here we are talking about ten years!

No, no fear mongering please. The greatest danger was violent abuse, and I think we would know if that occured. It didn't. So once again I ask you to look into the gaping hole of "expected" problems that seem to have never happened in ten years, 50 girls and 70 johns, and the only problem seems to be, ten years later, that they got caught.

MistWizard: You have no idea what happened to those girls in those 10 years. You can't be sure that nothing bad happened. How do we know they weren't abused physically or verbally? And that's really beside the point anyway. They were underage girls!

So they can track down the guys who were sleeping with the underage girls and throw them in with the girls pimp too I hope.

How many times do I see this happening mid afternoon at stations all around tokyo area... 5, 6... and thats just in the time it takes for the next train to arrive. think about those numbers. and weekday no less. AND not even in a honcho type area either. all I can think when I see these salarymen and these young girls is - what a waste of a perfectly good cute girl, and - I feel sorry for the guy she eventually marries after she "retires" and doesnt tell the dude. If he finds out later... oh... nasty.

such a waste of youth... but this society has bred them to be like this so no one to blame but yourselves (loosely directed at Japanese society in general).

One more thing for those who have children scratch from your list of so-called friends any male over 25 that plays World of warcraft or any other of these online roleplaying games more than once a week, especially if you have a daughter because it is more than likely they are the ones who would use this kids of service.

Nah. If anything happened it is highly unlikely it was reported to police. Come on man, thats not how things work here. I mean, what other country can a dude drag a young girl into the train toilet in front of other passengers, rape her, then get out and get off the train at his stop and have no passenger try to do anything about it at any point... and apparently not only once, the guy I am referring to did it to 5 other girls before someone finally reported it. If he tried that in Canada (not that we use trains there mind you), he wouldnt walk away from the beating he would get by random passers by. 100% guaranteed.

MistWizard: No, no fear mongering please. The greatest danger was violent abuse, and I think we would know if that occured. It didn't.

MistWizard the point I was making is that under 18 is still considered a child and is also still considered to be the responsibility of the parent/s to care for and raise the child. If you still think a child under 18 has every right to make an adult decision when it comes to sexual intercourse then they should also have every right to be treated as adults in every other aspect of their life. Which means no free ride off their adult parents since they're fully capable of getting married, having children, working as "sex workers" (which implies they're capable of doing other jobs too right?). Simply put one can't say, "Let treat them like children in one aspect while we treat them like adults in another aspect". Another perspective is that treating underage girls like this is only an excuse for legal age adults to take advantage of younger girls/boys for their own sexual desires. That speaks volumes in itself.

ero oyaji!!!

Mental maturity vs. physical maturity is the factor at play here.

HonestDictator said: MistWizard the point I was making is that under 18 is still considered a child and is also still considered to be the responsibility of the parent/s to care for and raise the child.

Yet, here you are backing up the idea that the government should make decisions for the child and not the parents.

If you still think a child under 18 has every right to make an adult decision when it comes to sexual intercourse then they should also have every right to be treated as adults in every other aspect of their life.

Yeah, I understood what you said the first time. But the way you lump sex, alchohol, smoking, voting, performing military service etc into one simplistic lump is pretty scary. Its like you have never had an original thought ever. Those things are all completely different...and changing. Sex is not what it was 100 years ago. Its gotten A LOT safer if the male has any sense.

dolphingirl said: MistWizard: You have no idea what happened to those girls in those 10 years. You can't be sure that nothing bad happened. How do we know they weren't abused physically or verbally?

Well let me put it this way: If anything REALLY bad had happened, this would have come to light a lot sooner. Now that it is out in the open, the girls have a chance to tell their stories. So far I only hear silence.

And that's really beside the point anyway. They were underage girls!

"underage" is purely a matter of law and not universal agreement. Laws change. In this case, they should ASAP.

jamal2609: Japanese morality may be different from "western" morality, but on the subject of child prostitution there seems to be quite a bit of agreement. Please check out Article 34 of the Child Welfare Law. If you won't draw the line at the age of 18 then where will you draw the line? If she's old enough to utter the word "yes" then she's old enough to consent to sex?

Take a look around, Japan, USA, Europe, wherever ... you see all sorts of laws - some quite extreme - about who can have sex with who, exactly how old they're supposed to be, of what relation, exactly under what circumstances - and yet there's an absolutely constant stream of these "outrages" in the press and you know what's reported represents only a small fraction of what's really going on. Humans are very sexual, they fancy what they fancy when they fancy it and all the policemen or imams or whatever can't do much about it.

So let's get real for a moment.

If you want an "age of consent" with a rational base then I'd suggest returning to the sensible old time standard - puberty. It was good enough for 200,000 years ... and then everyone fancied that they'd become 'sophisticated'. Well, maybe the societies became more complex, but the people did not. Same biology as always.

Once the hormones kick in desire leads where desire leads and girls are gonna find guys whether Ma and Pa and preacher Joe like it or not. The outcome kind of depends on whether Ma and Pa and preacher Joe raised their girls to be naive idiots or whether they taught them the real 'facts of life' instead of the Disney version before puberty arrives and bad-boy gangster types with expensive cars become irresitably attractive.

This constant escalation of the 'age of consent' has essentially criminalized human biology - which just happens to keep police/court budgets nice and fat, odd coincidence.

Now rape, coersion and some kinds of exploitation are an entirely different matter. Mere sexuality does NOT justify the use of violence or threats or dangerous deceptions as a means of satisfaction. That's where biology ends and "crime" begins.

Fact: 33% or one-third of the global porn industry is produced right here in Japan. Government regulations? oh, please, spare me the details?

And, forgive my ignorance, but what good serves the purpose of conducting "moral education" as a subject in elememtary and middle schools?

This incident is most likely exposed to the media in order for the government to "save face" and like most cases, it will be all forgotten in due course.

Don't get me wrong people, adults as a society, must respond to any underage child safety and/or welfare threat....regardless of the outcome.

@glycol57:

Take a look around, Japan, USA, Europe, wherever ... you see all sorts of laws - some quite extreme - about who can have sex with who, exactly how old they're supposed to be, of what relation, exactly under what circumstances - and yet there's an absolutely constant stream of these "outrages" in the press and you know what's reported represents only a small fraction of what's really going on. Humans are very sexual, they fancy what they fancy when they fancy it and all the policemen or imams or whatever can't do much about it.

Larceny is also rampant, in spite of laws prohibiting it, but that doesn't make larceny OK.

If you want an "age of consent" with a rational base then I'd suggest returning to the sensible old time standard - puberty. It was good enough for 200,000 years ... and then everyone fancied that they'd become 'sophisticated'. Well, maybe the societies became more complex, but the people did not. Same biology as always.

Understand what you're saying and it's a good point. The penal code puts the age of sexual consent at 13 in Japan, so although I'm not pretending to be a lawyer, it seems the Japanese would mostly agree with you on the point of consent. The Japanese are not criminalizing biology.

But the age of consent and the age at which a girl and her john can engage in prostitution without running afoul of child protection laws are two different things.

If a girl decides she wants to have experimental sex with a classmate, for example, she can legally do that at the age of 13. That's the age of consent. If she decides she wants to sell her body for money to a 45 year old man, on the other hand, that 45 year old man, and anyone who is an intermediary to that transaction, can go to jail and pay a stiff fine.

The first case involes the sexual development and maturation of the child and is not a problem, according to Japanese law, especially when the two individuals engaging in sex are of similar ages. The second case is exploitation. See the difference?

I get the impression most people here don't have daughters, especially none in their teens. It changes your perspective.

And 50% is not the problem. Japanese make lots of money off the people they use/employ/despatch.

The problems is that the man is a sleazebag and deserves a beating. And that the girls will regret what they did in time to come. Even sadder if they don't regret it.

When is someone going to mention that they will all burn in hell? Obviously its not an expected outcome anymore. :)

"I get the impression most people here don't have daughters, especially none in their teens"

Glad someone said that.

I'd like to see some info about the Johns who paid them- like how many were married; I'm guessing 80%ish. And before you condemn them too harshly have you seen the new AKB48 CM with them rolling around on the floor in sexy lingere? Those girls are like 15/16/17. Doesn't float my particular boat because I know they're just kids but I'm pretty sure it does for the average J-dude since their music videos rocket to #1 on Japanese YouTube upon release, and I'm guessing 9 out of 10 people downloading these aren't too interested in the music part.

yasukuni said: I get the impression most people here don't have daughters, especially none in their teens. It changes your perspective.

How? It makes you weak minded? Which causes you to cast off everything you believed previously?

10 years and 50 girls. You think some of the parents might have known? Or not cared to know?

mokgohan said: Doesn't float my particular boat because I know they're just kids

Keep repeating that mantra. I don't know how old it is, but I doubt it predates the late 1800s when Victorian age prudish anti-sex campaigners got together to raise the age of consent around Europe to between 13 and 16 for the first time in recorded history. That was later imported to Japan.

I had heard the Victorian age was over. I guess not.

Anyway, I still find it odd that you can't chose a sex partner till you are 18, but when you do turn 18, you can do anybody for any reason or even star in a porn film. I would rather loosen up the road to that slowly rather than in one go. And I can't find any reason to block a loving relationship at all. Sure, some people always have some objections to two people who want to be together being together, but not one of them is legit for universal application except for parental objection if one is living off their parents.

"How? It makes you weak minded? Which causes you to cast off everything you believed previously?"

Not at all. It's not weak minded to think the man is a rat, and that it's a sad state of affairs that girls do that for pocket money.

My perspective didn't change. When I was 25 or 30 or 35 with no teenage daughter I would have thought the same thing. I guess what I was implying that some of the posters here might change their attitudes when they get a bit older and have daughters of their own. Even someone like you.

I'm thinking those "prudish" anti-sex campaigners probably were parents with daughters of their own. Walk a mile in their shoes Mist. I'm glad to see at least you understand that parent's do have the right to say how they feel and influence the law to protect their children from what they deem harmful as long as the "child" has to rely on them. Just FYI puberty is hitting girls earlier and earlier now thanks to environment, diet, emotional affects etc. If a girl of 7 is capable of having children it doesn't mean she should have sex unless suddenly you've grown a conscience about why the age of consent laws exist and in certain cases 18 is the most acceptable age of consent world-wide. Another reason is that 18 year olds can take care of themselves and are most likely to cope with the consequences of their decisions in every aspect of their lives.

Also while the sex may be safer, its only safer if the Japanese actually applied the saftey measures instead of just talking about it. I'm pretty sure you skipped the fact that STDs (including AIDs/HIV infections) in Japan have risen. The two causes of this is that many know that condoms exist but still choose not to use them (if the guy doesn't bring them, or the girl thinks she's showing her affection by not demanding it of her partner, or they think it detracts from the sensations of intercourse) and 2nd many Japanese do not get themselves tested for STDs on a regular basis nor do they even report it if they do because they're embarassed. Isn't that a potent mix.

It's not really a matter of the men changing their viewpoint of having sex with underaged women/girls. Its' the girls who need to change their attitude.

We men don't have instincts to think about the age, then feel she is sexy. We first see a sexy girl and maybe then try to ask ourselves the age, if she really looks young...and the reason for that is because we dont' want to go to jail.

There was a study done and I think it was the hip to waist difference of 25% regardless of any other physical characteristic and men would go nuts over the girl and want to have sex with her. 5% less or more would have a dramatic effect on the natural instincts of mans desire for sex with her. They even painted silouettes and took them to tribes living in the jungle and they all pointed to the one with the waist 25% smaller than the hips.

Sex is not what it was 100 years ago. Its gotten A LOT safer

Same with war, it is not what it was 100 years ago and according to casualty rates it has also gotten a lot safer, does that mean age limits for military service should be lowered?

a little perspective here, that is 2 million yen without having to pay tax, so really 2.6-2.7 million yen

a little perspective, 2 million yen without paying tax, so really 2.6 million yen

@MistWizard:

The child protection laws I am referring to were passed first in 1999 and subsequently were ammended in 2004. The Victorian era, as you know, is long over.

These laws were created to protect children from exploitation, not because of some Victorian prudishness.

As far as the age of 18 goes, that just happens to be the generally accepted age, it's not a magic number. It's like the drinking and smoking ages: the line has to be drawn somewhere.

It seems like you and others are stuck on the age of consent, but that's not the issue here. It's the age at which a girl can engage in prostitution. That's quite a bit different than consensual, experimental sex with a peer.

Haha...He be "pimpin". Get that man a purple crush velvet suit, and a wide brimmed hat with a peacock feather on it.

"PIMPIN HOES"!!!!!

So going through the arduous stages of pregnancy, witnessing the birth of your child, accepting the responsibility of being that infant's means of survival on this earth, helping them to crawl, walk, run and consoling them when they fall, caring for them when they are sick, sacrificing time and money, hearing their first words, eventually hearing your words, thoughts and feelings expressed through them as they eventually carry on your legacy... all this "makes you weak minded". Why do you assume this process is degenerative and not the　very opposite? Because our opinions differ from yours?

And how does "changes your perspective" get warped in your words to become "cast off everything you believed previously"?

"We Japanese" love little girls. "We Japanese" love our child porn. It's our culture. Who cares what the world thinks. "We are Japanese"

Police on Monday arrested an unemployed 60-year-old man

He is not "unemployed" he is self employed as a pimp.

jamal2609 said: These laws were created to protect children from exploitation, not because of some Victorian prudishness.

Half right. The age of consent laws were made to ensure that those without enough mental capacity were not exploited, yes. They began at ages between 7 and 12 originally. The age of consent was raised much later, I believe, because of rampant exploitation in the Victorian age PLUS Victorian prudishness of the 19th century. The age of consent NATURALLY means paying for sex with the underage is also out of the question, right? That makes the laws you point to redundant. Well, since the age of consent is now unnaturally high, people on both sides of the divide started resorting to prostitution schemes to circumvent the law, just like people resorted to bootlegging and the speak easy to circumvent prohibition. But instead of repealing the artificially high age of consent laws, the government decided to up the penalties for under-age prostitution with the laws you mention. Think about it. There is no real need for laws against under-age prostitution because it is already illegal to have sex with those deemed under a certain age already. Age of consent is HIGHLY related, because the laws you point to are REDUNDANT because of them, and the laws you mention came into being because people now think the unnaturally high age of consent is "normal" despite scientific and thousands of years of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. People are far better at rote memorization of false ideas than untying crazy knots left us by Victorian prudes. Instead of untying the knot, we have only added to the mess.

As far as the age of 18 goes, that just happens to be the generally accepted age, it's not a magic number. It's like the drinking and smoking ages: the line has to be drawn somewhere.

A line does have to be drawn, but not at such a ridiculously high age. Parental consent would be a good line. So would a certificate of competency from a couple of third party psychologists or judges. Not everyone is the same on what they can handle at what age. And rejection of love or freedom based on age is as sick as the same based on race or social status.

It seems like you and others are stuck on the age of consent, but that's not the issue here. It's the age at which a girl can engage in prostitution.

Not if the ages are set the same. Since they are the same, and you seem to agree, you are saying its all the same level, while at the same time saying its different. Well which is it? Because if its all different, then different ages or a different approach is a matter of course.

That's quite a bit different than consensual, experimental sex with a peer.

It sure is! But I am not quite sure which is worse! I would rather teens were having consensual sex with experienced people who cared for them, but since that is so often illegal, news like this is what we get.

And I have played the sugar daddy several times. They were all over 18 but I know full well the only difference it made was a legal one. One of them was seeing a doctor before me and that was BEFORE she was legal. Everyone take your sharp intake of breath and GET OVER IT.

"ridiculously high age"? "certificate of competency from judges"? for even younger people to have sex for money? "teens having sex with experienced people who care for them"? "rejection of love or freedom based on age is as sick as the same based on race"

You heard it here from Mistwizard the self-proclaimed sugar daddy. Starting to make me sick.

it comes down to japanese attitudes to sex in a way...the girl in the article mentions doing it to get money for things she wanted.this is just a step higher than compensation dating.these girls probably dont get coerced into prostitution as brutally as some other women do by ruthless pimps or doing it to feed a drug habit.one example out of fifty girls doesnt mean they are all like that but it would be interesting to find out why they enterred into prostitution and in what way the pimp had brought them into that ring.

"Keep repeating that mantra."

Err... it's not a mantra, its the way I actually feel. Sorry to disappoint you.

"I don't know how old it is"

Well, since I was old enough to realize just how young teenage girls actually are- so let's say 15 years; not the 130 years you clumsily try to connect it to (agenda anyone?).

"I doubt it predates the late 1800s when Victorian age prudish anti-sex campaigners got together to raise the age of consent"

And awaaaay we go! So let's take a look at that Victorian age shall we? We can all sit back and laugh about it now but get this- it was actually a time that was "increasingly liberal with a number of shifts in the direction of gradual political reform and the widening of the voting franchise."(Wiki) Hmm... that can't be right! What were your pesky "prudish anti-sex campaigners" doing there then? Well, "forms of birth control became available, and people’s attitude towards sex altered"(Wiki). Really? But those attitudes must have spun backwards right? Because, like you say "the age of consent is now unnaturally high" according to... uhhh, who besides you? I'll give you a hint- it's called the m.i.n.o.r.i.t.y (because if it wasn't it would have been eventually turned over and thrown out in the last 130 years or so and not, as it is, globally accepted yeah?).

So let's move on to the prudes, shall we? And the Age of Consent. It seems the age of the age of consent really started rolling a couple of hundred years before your late 1800's. At least in the European states, which most academics admit (don't chase me down that road if you disagree because I won't follow) was where global society was at its most highly evolved and stuff was happening to the kiddies frequently enough for things to start getting official. As time progressed, Empirical England influenced their colonies and, as you say "imported" their ideas. But here's the thing- countries the world over started accepting it (that doesn't sound "unnatural"!) and they weren't exactly getting their arms twisted because if they were that complacent to foreign ideas don't you think the world would be wall-to-wall christians?

Sorry, on to the prudes. Yeah, they were mostly women and men influenced by women (their wives). These gals had a lot of gripes that got mostly brushed aside but the one they felt most adamantly about was this and they finally got parliment (and senate) to cave. Those old prudes felt passionatly enough about this issue that they got it passed before they even got their own actual sufferage yo! That's some serious passion coming from women fighting to overturn laws concerning them made by men. And I'm sorry but even if the old bats are 130 years old I'll still leave the decisions on teenage girls up to people who have actually been teenage girls at one time in their life and not just to some random internet dude who has "played the sugar daddy several times". (I'm shocked by this statement! Shocked I tell you!)How's my prude workin' for ya?

Age of consent... Age of...Oh! Hey! I found a country without any age of consent at all! There's some forward thinking people! Surely the pinnacle of the modern world. Pack your bags Mist- you're headed for North Korea!

O.K. If you really must know- the reason I don't get turned on by teenage girls? Well, its because I've worked at an all-girls private high school for the last 13 years (as well as growing up with three sisters and now living with 4 females in my house) and I think I've got some experience on the teenage female psyche. At least, I'm guessing, more than you (your post-jailbait doesn't count and if you think it does then you're proving my point) and I gotta tell you- 16 YEAR OLD GIRLS DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE DOING! Prudity is just a small, outdated part of it- it's much more that "Social (and the resulting legal) attitudes toward the appropriate age of consent have drifted upwards in modern times."(wiki again) Oh, and your "scientific and thousands of years of overwhelming evidence to the contrary"? Yeah, well science and thousands of years of overwhelming evidence have also proven that we like to kill each other.

O.K. You can rant all you want from here, but just don't mention the word "love" again if you want to be taken seriously.

MistWizard said: "But acting like these girls are innocent waifs is just laughably stupid. So is acting like sex is some damaging destructive force. Its 2010, not 1860. Sex is safe and fun with just a little precaution."

I agree completely dude! Let me just say that it's remarkable that our MALE dominated WORLD has a problem with LEGALIZING prostitution. Perhaps because it's probably the one innate TOOL they (women) have in order to FREE themselves from the tyranny of a matriarchical society.

Moderator: All readers back on topic please. Posts that do not focus on what is in the story will be removed.

NOTE: I support legalization of prostitution for ADULTS (say 19 years and older).

I have a 15 year old daughter and count them 6 nieces 4 of whom would technically be within the so-called age of consent but I can tell you that not one of them is mature enough to actually know enough about life to make any kind of informed decision concerning sex let alone prostitution.

It always surprises me how it is the foreign "men" (and I am using the term "men" in the looses of ways) are the ones that seems so adamant about the age of consent being arbitrary and it being the girls choice.

We have all been skirting the issue that the guys that are using this service and those that are defending this man and attacking the laws by coming up with outlandish reasoning or some sort of spudo-historical reason, etc...

Are in fact pathetic losers and probably in their mid 30's but if they can get a date it is only with girls under the age of 23 because anything older means that they must actually talk to the girl.

Any man over the age of 20 dating or paying for a girl under the age of 18 is a major looser and if you point that man out to me I will bet I find a loser Otaku.

Do real women scare these men so much that they can only handle girls?"

The facts are simple prostitution in Japan is a crime and more so with someone under 18 and having sex with someone under 18 when you are not under 18 or at least around their age is just sick and a sign of someone who cannot handle the real world or any other form of maturity!

This man was exploiting these girls for profit and using their immaturity and naivety to do so anyone even trying to defend that should be put on a watch list because they sooner or later will end up running fowl of the law.

limboinjapan said: This man was exploiting these girls for profit and using their immaturity and naivety to do so anyone even trying to defend that

Your presumptive, tired and baseless insults aside for a moment I don't think anyone is defending exploitation. You are assuming they were exploited, and assuming their maturity and naivety levels without having ever met them. That is a problem. On the flip side you are assuming those over 18 are mature and not naive and wash your hands of them. Prostitution, especially where it is illegal, and particularly where pimps are involved, is a hotbed of exploitation and age not the core problem.

Do real women scare these men so much that they can only handle girls?"

Bizarre comment. We are talking about prostitutes here. They do what you pay them to do. You seem to want to browbeat your stereotypes into our heads. Its ridiculous.

Moderator: Readers, that ends the sniping at each other. Please focus your comments on the story and not at each other.

Limbo and mokgohan. You deserve medals for your patience in responding.

At a very simplistic level this is an example of supply and demand. Japanese men get young girls for sex and young girls get money for the things that the Japanese media brainwash them into wanting. The guilty party here is the dark underside of the moral framework of Japanese culture/society and the wholesale sexualisation of children for the gratification of adults that has been occurring for a number of years.

"A line does have to be drawn, but not at such a ridiculously high age. Parental consent would be a good line"

I find this an absolutely ridiculous argument. Teenagers (and many young adults) are generally young people who are in a very awkward stage of life development. The are characterized by such things as; they are starting to develop a very basic understanding about the broader world around them, are full of flimsy peer influenced opinions and faux bravado, are still very much reliant of the protection of their parents even though they pretend otherwise and have very little life experience or maturity to back up the things they say and do. Like Mokgohan, I have had 10 years experience working with people of this age. I know they make very poorly thought out decisions that often have dire consequences that adults are left to mop up. The age of consent protects these inexperienced kids from older men who would otherwise do all they can to exploit their naivety. There seems to be a few of them here on these boards. I will also say, that many parents should not be left to make the decision about when their kids can have sex. Some make decisions just as badly as teenagers.

The main reason for later ages of majority in contemporary societies is the realization that longer periods of maturation, training, and education are necessary to provide young people with the mental and emotional tools to function as adults now. If an 18 year old and a 16 year old had sex in 1820 and a pregnancy occurred, in most societies a marriage would follow and the male would presumably have the ability to gain a livelihood that could sustain the three of them. That is not the case now. Okay, so how about a 30 year old male now who can provide for a 16 year old and child? The life purpose of women was once limited to reproduction but most of us, (probably all of us who have daughters) want our children to choose their paths in life from a position of strength and knowledge. If they marry or have partners, we want them to be able to choose their partners from a position of equality. Somebody should hand the test*cles of that 60 year old and all his clients back to them as earrings.

@kamonochoumei:

I was so caught up with your very clearly thought out and written comment, that I was truly caught by surprise by the ending it made me Misty eyed

wow!!! a pimp in Japan... wonder if he had bling on...LoL!!