'Lolicon' teachers a growing concern

@joem This has become a problem with today’s liberal society, they are trying to supress human nature. My grandmother gave birth to my dad at 14 and he became a hard working individual and earned the house we are in today in a nice neighborhood, when I was senior in HS it was okay for me to date girls in freshman year, nowadays that will get you to be called a groomer 5 years later. Not to mention at that age many fantasize of dating their teachers and older students.

Japan certainly is hypocritical when it comes to their view of sexuality. But then again. The hypocrisy only comes from the rest of the world's expectations. Japanese men apparently acknowledge their desires for young girls. Even though they have to act as if they don't these days just because of what the world wants to believe. The rest of the world has pedophilic tendencies as well. But the old outdated belief that it is a mental illness is the problem. People can be stubborn and ignorant. I can tell you exactly why society typically suppresses sex. Because the way it naturally manifests itself in all people isn't compatible with society. SO what needs to happen? Society needs to change to accommodate sex. Suppression doesn't work. Restraining sexual desire creates a whole set of new problems. Nd you ultimately end up with millions of innocent people becoming casualties to ignorance of others. Ending up in prisons or whatever.

My way of solving this problem is for young boys to be with older women, and young girls being with older men. If you study old wisdom passed down from texts of numerous philosophies and religions, you will find sayings such as "A fool can only raise a young fool into an old fool. But a wise person can raise a young fool into an old wise person." In most relationships, there is a dominate leader or "visionary". Someone who takes charge. If that relationship consists of two fools, is it really going to matter who's in charge?

To place a younger "rookie" with an older person, not only will they be better of in life. But society will become wiser over time and everyone will be better off. IN today's reality, society continue to make the same mistakes over and over. We see the trend of wiser officials retiring and getting replaced by younger fools. Is this really how we grow as a nation around the world? People need to stop looking at taboos. And look beyond them instead. Older men love younger girls. Not only does it make them feel younger. But they will pour their whole life force into those young women and rear them out far more wisely than any "romeo and Juliet" fiasco ever could. There is nothing worse than seeing a teenage girl get knocked up by some street punk who ends up in jail or by some drunk fool at a party. And it happens every day. Girls today are often more foolish than they have been decades ago. But the curve goes up and down from one generation to the next. Because society is wishy washy and lazily at the mercy of political entities. We seriously do need to shove the government out of the social business. And drop taboos. Paving the way for understanding what people REALLY want. And in all my studies, even older women LOVE younger guys. It is not only logical. But scientific. Its a win-win situation. I'd rather see my son end up with a woman 20 years older than him than to see him playing mind games with some highly impressionable and foolish jezibel who doesn't know where to go in life except the welfare line.

One of the things that helped me toe the line as a teacher was knowing that, if I'd ever dared do something untoward with a female student, it likely would've been all over the news. Yet, with Japanese men, it seemingly doesn't make many headlines. Yes, a story comes up on JT or another newsie from time to time, but with 205 instances over the course of a year last year, it just doesn't seem to be all that important....

I think many people are confused with pedophilia in regards to middle/high school students. Pedophilia is defined as in relation to prepubescent children.

"...a test developed in the 1940s"

Sounds about right.

@therougou

How about improving the conditions for teachers so they don't have all these weirdos applying for the job?

I doubt that this would make much of a difference. The only real way to stop somebody that has this sort of tendency is to improve the checks made when first employing, making it harder for "weirdos" to actually apply.

Sadly, though, it is possible for even the most stringent checks to fail, especially when a known deviant is "safely" implanted in a position and the people in charge want to cover them up for fear of other repercussions. In some ways I'd support @kyushubill's logic comment here.

Japan is not the only country with pedos, for sure. But Japan does heap the pile with pedo candy. I have found those who who refuse to see links with correlation (A is similar to B) to causation (A caused B) are those who also are blind to interrelationship (A is related to B. Incident C occurred. D caused E because the correlation to the relationship of the incident to the cause was based upon the correlation of the relationship and cause). This is Logic 101.

How about improving the conditions for teachers so they don't have all these weirdos applying for the job?

@Franchesca

Not even a swarthy goblin? ; )

Japan has a high tolerance for this kind of thing. Many of us have seen high school girls after hours in Akihabara soliciting joshi-kosei osanpo dates ... in plain view of everyone. As long as high school girls are big business and used to sell, well, most everything, including themselves, this sort of thing will continue.

Ask mother nature, how old is old enough.

That answer would be 11-13. So are you saying its ok for a man in his 20s, 30s 40s or even 50s to have sex with a 12 year old if she has started menstruating?

@CH3CHO:

As said, the situation is very important. Lingerie, in general, is made for sexual reasons (turning on their partner, feeling sexy, etc). Generally speaking, women (in my experience) would prefer more comfortable underwear for day to day situations. Therefore, being is sexual in nature it is by definition erotic.

Please Google, simply "Heavy Rotation Lingerie", click images and tell me you don't find the following erotic:

1) 2 "naked girls" in a bathtub

2) 2 girls, kissing and laughing in front of a third

3) Several (6+) girls hanging out on a huge bed, some wearing thong-like underwear

Girls that young should not even be wearing lingerie.

Regarding your question, it's important to understand the difference between permit, prohibit and endorse. The government does not endorse pedophilia (that is, it does nothing to support it), but it until very recently did nothing to stop it either..and even then it's very vague about it. No real action is being taken against anyone (so far anyway), so it isn't doing a good job of prohibiting either. So, it simply is allowing the situation to exist.

What I propose is very simple. Prohibit it outright with very few exceptions. The only reason anyone should have pictures of naked children is silly and extremely innocent bath pictures or whatnot of their own children/family...and even then there should be a limited to when it's already socially acceptable for the kid to run around naked at the beach/etc. (Basically under..say..5?)

@DaDude. I doubt it. Japanese female teachers are too goody-two-shoe to pull off that stunt. Secondly, most japanese 16-17 yr olds are way too shy to go through with it.

Unlike american high school guys who would brag and high-5 about it all day long in those hallways.

The test should be given to everyone who works with children, females too! It's discriminatory to only have men take it, but then who would they hire?

Speaking of which, have there been any Jennifer Fichter or Mary Kay Letourneau type of happenings in Japan?

So simply put Japan needs to be able to identify pedophiles before they can get into any position where they can harm children. Getting better psychiatric tests for people that work or intend to work with children would be a start.

I agree with Elizabeth that Japan needs a sex offender registry so people who are pedophiles or rapists can be identified and people can avoid them or make sure their children aren't around them nor can they get jobs with access to children or vulnerable youths.

Believe it or not, I don't agree on the manga (Its like equating video games and violent movies to increased violence), which is only problem with people who can't see the line between fiction and reality (which is a sign of mental illness in itself).

But I do agree on the "loli" photography/gravure magazines as it involves REAL children.

'Lolicon'? Don't dress it up, these people are paedophiles. I've said this many times, but this country needs a sex offenders register and a police and criminal record check for anyone wanting to work with children or vulnerable adults. It won't stop all unsuitable people going into teaching, but it will prevent those with a history of getting employment in this area.

Why call this lolicon? Just call these people pedophiles. Don't try to sugarcoat it!!

Steve Crichton,

Psychologists think they are so far above simple folk they can create a test that will define a person and the tendencies they have. They think in absolute, black and white terms and love to put labels on people. Most of the time they are wrong.

Very true.

And what is even worse is that, even when they have put a label on the person's syndrome, that's as far as they can go. They can do NOTHING to relieve it. They give drugs to suppress it, but that's no cure.

The basic mistake is putting people into "types."

Each person is different.

CH3CHO: Do you think underaged girls in swimsuit pornographic or erotic? If you do, I want to know why.

Your question/point needs context. If I were to go to the beach, and saw underaged girls in a swimsuit, the answer is no, it's not a sexual or erotic theme. Swimsuits are practical pieces of clothing...for swimming.

But if you're making a music video, or an album cover, or a promotional poster for a MUSIC GROUP, then you are making a conscious choice about clothing, and you can pick ANYTHING. So why, with your unlimited options, would you choose a swimsuit? They're not swimming. They can be be shown having fun in a variety of ways. So here's the obvious answer: because swimsuits show a lot of skin, and a big part of the band's customer base is male. And in that context, yes, the underaged girls in swimsuits become erotic and sexualized.

@ Ah-so Pedophilia is not a choice or a personal weakness. Research will suggest that the disorder may have neurological origins and causes and could result from a failure in the brain to identify which environmental stimuli should provide a sexual response. Some finding will also indicate that disturbances in neurological development in utero or early childhood increase the risk of pedophilia and other finding have shown on the average, lower tests scores of visual-spacial ability and verbal memory of men with pedophilia.

kaynideJul. 21, 2015 - 05:34PM JST

I am simply arguing that the population and government in general permit things which use underaged girls in pornographic or erotic situations.

Do you think, for example, AKB as underaged girls in pornographic or erotic situation?

I do not think so. If you do, I want to know why.

Do you think underaged girls in swimsuit pornographic or erotic? If you do, I want to know why.

On the other hand, prostitution is illegal underage or overage. That means the government does not allow teenage prostitution.

So, what do you have in mind when you say "the population and government in general permit things which use underaged girls in pornographic or erotic situations"?

By the way, international convention does not prohibit "simple possession". http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/optional_protocol_eng.pdf

HANDBOOK ON THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL ON THE SALE OF CHILDREN, CHILD PROSTITUTION AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

(page 12) Interpreted strictly, article 3(1)(c) of the OPSC obliges States Parties to punish the possession of child pornography only when this possession is “for the above purposes” – producing, distributing, disseminating, importing, exporting, offering or selling.

Psychologists think they are so far above simple folk they can create a test that will define a person and the tendencies they have. They think in absolute, black and white terms and love to put labels on people. Most of the time they are wrong.

@ch3cho: Not meant to be sarcastic, or a verbal attack, but desensitization is what I am referring to basically above.

Short version is that the more prevelent X is in a society, the more X becomes ignored or no big deal. Toplessness comes to mind- in America it may be a big deal to see a woman out and about without a top, but in some South American tribes? No big deal.

In Japan where until very recently child porn was legal to have, I am simply arguing that the population and government in general permit things which use underaged girls in pornographic or erotic situations.

But is this healthy? of course not, this is probably one of the reasons why their population is declining, because half of the man are into kids and not with female adults.

@noypikantoku. Great point. I prefer milfs or women 30ish and over. Not kids, that's very-very unhealthy.

Do you read JT ? Almost every week there are news about sex offenders with underage victims?

The number of articles on a website does not a fact make. Let's say we have 52 stories (one/week), and that these covered all of the cases. That would mean there were only 52 cases for 130 million people in an entire year - an extremely low rate.

You also have to consider that the number of articles in other countries may be less, because such crimes may be overshadowed by more violent crimes in other countries, or maybe people just don't care about this crime as much.

Real numbers are what count. The number and/or frequency of articles on a website is nothing even remotely nearing fact.

where I came from we have very less lolicons compare to Japan, day and night difference.

You're Filipino aren't you? I was under the impression that your country has a problem with underage prostitutes.

noypikantokuJul. 21, 2015 - 05:05PM JST

because half of the man are into kids and not with female adults.

OK. The whole of your argument is based on this. I totally doubt your assumption.

On the other hand, you can’t be too careful where children are concerned.

Yes, you can be too careful.

Becoming a teacher is something I look forward to in the future. I often dream about that moment when I am outside a classroom with my Japanese teacher, notes/books in my arm and a huge smile in my face knowing that this is what I am meant to do.

I view a teacher as a mentor to their students. Someone who can inspire the students to achieve their greatest potential. I understand clearly the growing concern about teachers who take advantage of students because of their high position in society. As an aspiring teacher to be; this also concerns me because it will effect the way my future students reflect on my teaching method, the interview process and my social life outside of school.

All I want to get out of teaching is to be that spark that initiates the students to believe in themselves. That's it. I am willing to work in the best of my abilities to ensure that all of my future students will be successful. That is what a teacher is suppose to do. It is the right thing.

Wakarimasen

sure, Japan fetishizes youth and sso on but not sure you can blame that for this type of crime.

Their soceity's approving youth fetishizes fuels the lolicons to worsen their habits.

here we go again with the Apologist bandwagon.

Do you read JT ? Almost every week there are news about sex offenders with underage victims? but ok, let's say the cases in UK is still higher...

lolicons are not necessarily committing or have committed crimes, yes there is a big tendency that they will commit crimes but some can still restrain themselves or they have other ways to release their habits o some can get away with it fine. But is this healthy? of course not, this is probably one of the reasons why their population is declining, because half of the man are into kids and not with female adults. So it's not just about the sexual crimes, lolita complex has other negative effects, and denying the facts and looking the other way will not help improve Japan.

I am a foreigner residing in Japan, and where I came from we have very less lolicons compare to Japan, day and night difference.

WakarimasenJul. 21, 2015 - 04:09PM JST

The Daily Mail view of Lolicon in Japan.

Brooklyn-based Vice correspondent Simon Ostrovsky traveled to Akihabara, a bustling district in Tokyo, to explore the sexual exploitation of young women as a part of Vice News' short documentary entitled Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan, and soon discovered that teen girls were readily available to 'rent' for a variety of services, including fortune telling, massages, and walks with clients.

Fortune telling, massages, and walking by school girls would not be a crime in the country where Daily Mail is published. If it is not a crime, he can find one in such a place like Akihabara or London.

Do you live in Japan?

For 20 years.

just go to any convenience stores, check the tabloid ads in trains, etc. and you will see pictures of porn stars in Junior/Senior highschool uniforms on covers of adult magazines, Highschool/junior highschool uniforms being sold in Adult costume play shops, parents encouraging their children to embrace AKB 48, AKB 48 Endorsing products, The Japanese society see this everyday and never react to it and then they wonder why they have so many lolicons in their country?

Correlation does not equal causation. I'm not saying a link doesn't exist, but I'm also not going to just accept it does based on an unproven theory.

@Wakarimasen: Excellent article, JT please re-post that to the front page.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3168563/Documentary-lifts-lid-dark-Japan-s-schoolgirl-culture-reveals-teen-students-forced-prostitution-obsessive-older-men.html

The Daily Mail view of Lolicon in Japan.

It can be easy to forget that pedophilia is a mental illness.

Novenachama: you can define any undesirable behaviour as a "mental illness" if you wish. Homosexualtiy was regarded as one until quite recently (I have a 1970s British home medical encyclopaedia that defines it thus), whereas today it certainly would not be.

Paedophilia is not like schizoprenia - it is a mental weakness perhaps, but it is a stretch to call it a mental illness.

noypikantoku Have you ever been outside Japan? Seen the types of magazines and newspapaers available in (for example( UK? Read about the significan t number of paedophile crimes in Uk? Seens number of teachers who have been convicted of sex with their pupils (both male and femaile)? sure, Japan fetishizes youth and sso on but not sure you can blame that for this type of crime.

Strangerland

Do you live in Japan? just go to any convenience stores, check the tabloid ads in trains, etc. and you will see pictures of porn stars in Junior/Senior highschool uniforms on covers of adult magazines, Highschool/junior highschool uniforms being sold in Adult costume play shops, parents encouraging their children to embrace AKB 48, AKB 48 Endorsing products, The Japanese society see this everyday and never react to it and then they wonder why they have so many lolicons in their country?

Yes these kinds of kinky fantasies exist in other country as well, however they are all underground, Unlike in Japan where you see these things everywhere, and they wonder why they have so many lolicons?

I have a lot of theories on Japan myself, but I wouldn't offer them up as fact.

You don't need links or graphs sometimes, just observe around you and use your common sense. These graphs and evidence that you've been asking for are all based on observations.

it is a just theory that has been doing the rounds of Japanese academia for years

I have a lot of theories on Japan myself, but I wouldn't offer them up as fact.

It's a not a link, it is a just theory that has been doing the rounds of Japanese academia for years. Meanwhile, in the real world debate hasn't happened because criticism is either deflected with a dead bat ("see no evil"), or those with the most to loose (the entertainment industry, etc.) play the "freedom of expression card." Indeed, it seems to be the case that every event is treated as an outlier rather than as part of a trend. However, a cursory look at your average sports newspaper suggests something different.

It can be easy to forget that pedophilia is a mental illness. Pedophilia itself is an attraction, and not in itself is illegal. However when acted upon it becomes child sexual abuse and is illegal because it puts the child who isn't considered old enough to give meaning consent at risk of severe psychological damage. Since reporting a potential pedophile results in legal action the law has deterred many pedophiles from voluntarily seeking psychiatric help. In the end this troubles many researchers because the mental disorder is easier to prevent than treat.

The problem is that there is a society-wide disconnect between the sexualization of children and the harm that results.

Can you show some evidence to support this link?

I'm not saying it does or doesn't exist - I honestly don't know. But I'm not going to accept that it does simply because someone claims it does, I want to see some evidence towards the fact before I agree with it. It sounds like it's plausible, but that doesn't mean that it's actually accurate.

@Yubaru As I wrote on another thread, back in March I had the opportunity to attend a function at my Japanese alma mater. On that occasion, there was a panel discussion about the future of Japanese cultural exports (and the success of other Asian countries - a prime example being K Pop). Anyway, a prominent member of the panel (a former head of the Cultural Affairs Agency) gave his speech on Japan’s recent efforts. By way of response, another panelist (a well-known European academic) excoriated him on the so-called "AKB phenomenon". The problem is that there is a society-wide disconnect between the sexualization of children and the harm that results. Unfortunately, Japan is reaping what it has sown, a harvest of lolicon teachers and regular inclusion as a serial offender in UN human trafficking reports. What needs to happen is leadership on this issue. But then again, I’m under no illusions.

I was listening to this interview with a middle eastern academic and highly regarded intellect in Australia. He reveal that his mother was married to his father at the age of 12 and gave birth to her first child age 14. His Mother and father went on to have 7 children. The Father and Mother are in their late 80,s and still together. Now in today,s society his Father would be put in Goal and alienated from society for such a vile act. This middle eastern man Father, brother,s and sister,s all are university educated and are respected member of their communities. This is not unusually. A matter of fact it is very common in the middle east in both christen and islam communities. Is this man,s Father a vile person or a good person?

All people are a product of the society in which they were raised. To wit, if Japan has a problem with lolicon teachers, the powers that be should be looking to crack down of the exploitation and sexualization of children.

. Not all people are lolicons, but by your logic all people are a product of the society they are raised, so in effect all people here should he lolicons...faulty logic I do believe.

kaynideJul. 21, 2015 - 09:27AM JST

I'm with Yubaru on this one... you can't have an entire culture that allows sexual innuendo with extremely young girls (a la AKB, Anime/Manga), or even the widespread schoolgirl fantasy porn without consequences.

How could eliminating AKB, Anime/Manga would reduce the number of pedophiles? I have no idea.

If that were true, eliminating homosexual literature and graphics would reduce the number of homosexuals.

Ask mother nature, how old is old enough.

All people are a product of the society in which they were raised. To wit, if Japan has a problem with lolicon teachers, the powers that be should be looking to crack down of the exploitation and sexualization of children.

Woah, aren't these questions extremely private? Such questions are not just to identify Lolicon types. These questions are also used to identify LGBTs. Some of these questions cross the line.

does japan rank high in world-wide pedophilia crimes? i think not. i think these articles that mention "japanese sex" get lots of webpage visits. according to the recent japanese-sex news items posted in JT, the wrong conclusion is that these poor people have no sex, and that all jijis and schoolteachers and policemen are perverts. i disagree. i have a very different and healthier view of sexual behavior this country.

It shouldn't be a 'growing' concern, but should ALWAYS have been a concern and something stamped out ages ago. Easy to do by improving the way teachers are screened and hired -- and no, that doesn't mean stricter testing of rote memory! In terms of society there is lots they can do, like stop sexualizing little children in bands and magazines that you can pick up in full view of the children themselves, as well as manga rape porn, etc. But nope -- freedom of speech, right?

Perhaps ban child porn manga for a start

Making this a peculiarly Japanese problem is not right. Bad behaviour by teachers - both male and female - in other countries is just as frequent. Like thieves are drawn to wealth so people who are attracted to minors are sometimes attracted to teaching. or maybe it is other way round - they realise they fancy miniors because of close and continual contact with them? anyway, whatever the reason, this is not because of Japanese fetishization of minors. and anyway, plenty of that goes on in Europe and US also.

Vice News host Simon Ostrovsky traveled to Tokyo to explore the sexual exploitation of teens

Typical hypocritical Western sensationalism, exposing the supposed widespread abuse of underage girls ("joshi kuse-" as the narrator pronounces it) while attracting web viewers with the promise of naughty underage girls. So we can all get our kicks while tsk-tsking the terrible Japanese.

@nakanoguy:

so other societies that don't glorify "prebubescent females" have no incidences of pedophilia

...is a silly question because obviously it exists everywhere. The extent of which is the point, not that it happens or not. Additionally, the extent at which society in general supports or fights it is also important.

Very generally speaking, if we cut society up into:

A) think it's wrong and go to some lengths to prevent/fight it,

B) think it's wrong and don't do it at all, but don't do anything against it either

C) think it's wrong but can't help themselves/feel shame at being interested in it

D) don't think it's wrong/don't care

In Japan's case, it takes away the shame of the C-crowd and even somewhat supports it via fetish anime/porn/etc, allowing them to easily fall into the D-Crowd. The AKB48 video clinched that for me ("naked" 14 year old in the bath/underage girls in lingerie). The fact that it got made, with all the staff involved, parents and TV stations..and not a single red flag raised? Again, the youngest girl in there was 14 at the time. 14.

Because it is so prevalent, the shoganai attitude causes many to believe it is "just part of society" with causes people who are on the fence between A and B to slip to B.

@Nakanoguy01 If it is hardwired/predetermined, then how is that different to homosexuality, which used to be illegal and socially taboo (and still is in many places). If it is out of the control of the individual, then how can we punish them for it?

I dont think this can be classed as hardwired, because that would open up a very big can of worms.... Pedophile rights? No thanks!!

The Rorschach ink blot test is an old favorite – show the testee a splash of ink and ask what it represents, the answer being indicative, presumably, of the state of the testee’s psychological health.

Hah what idiotry. That is probably the most useless test there is to root out any lolicons.

I like Japan, but like any other countries she has her down sides too and I think One of those is their poor actions on solving issues and Identifying the real sources of problems.

Firing potential lolicon teachers will not solve the problem as these people will still Be out there and continue with their habits. Indeed the prohibition of child pornographic Materials are now being implemented, however sexualizing highschool girls are still Very in demand and well encouraged by the people. It is really disturbing that the Public doesn't think that there is a problem with having high school girls on porn Magazine/dvd covers and adult bars/pubs with bar tenders in high school uniform serving drinks (especially when the drinking age is 20). Lolicons didn't wake up and suddenly want To see child porn videos/materials, They all start from a small beginning, and the high school sexualization Around them was definitely what triggers them to become full grown lolicons.

Is Japan really willing to solve this? Well the most top endorsers of big companies here are members of AKB48, And YES I do think AKB48 also fuels the whole Lolicon drive.

Idiot psychologists thinking they know everything and can fool people and read their minds.

Maybe a link with mobile phones?

Twenty years ago they didn't have cameras....

“Do you (to men) sometimes wish you were a woman?” “Do you (to women) ever regret being a woman?”

I know it's not the main point of this article, but that wording sort of bothers me. In addition to the questions that potentially link gender identity to pedophilia being pretty dodgy (which Maria also mentioned), I also feel like the wording used casts being born female as something to regret. Might have been better to say "Do you (to men) sometimes wish you were a woman?” “Do you (to women) sometimes wish you were a man?" I find the "wish" wording a bit more palatable than the "regret" implication.

As to the main point of the article. Japan really has a long way to go in some areas, in terms of lolicon, treatment of children, and initialization of women. I get really creeped out by the sexualization of kids or women made to look like kids in some manga, games, etc, and the whole junior idol thing is unsettling. As a fan of manga and video games, it bothers me even more because this crap gives the whole medium a bad name. Anyway, it seems like this stuff is still glamorized, and I can understand why it might stoke those interests in some people who really shouldn't be around kids. If society is telling you something's wrong, yet plenty of readily-available legal entertainment (some found in your local convenience store) is telling you it's cute and/or sexy, it's hard for some folks to know what to think.

Anyway, I hope school systems can continue to improve on their systems of weeding out potential lolicon-loving teachers.

Calling it pedophilia instead of kawaii names like "lolicon" would be some start

^^^^

Yup! Well said.

Children need to be protected and the best test would be to tell the prospect if you have a child fetish and we catch you sex will be the last thing on your mind. I failed many of the standard tests and hired because the interviewer knew something was wrong. I was told either you are the most dishonest person ever, or the most honest person ever. She said she never saw test results like mine but hired me anyway. She was not disappointed. Strict punishment for offenders would discourage them from applying to these jobs. Of course ill acting children will keep anyone from applying to these kind of jobs.

You get what you reap....Society and it's glorifying of prepubescent females is to blame and no amount of testing is going to matter.

so other societies that don't glorify "prebubescent females" have no incidences of pedophilia? people are born wired to their sexual preferences. society can do little to change inate behavior.

Why the thumbs down for asking a legitimate question ?

It mentions the arrest on July 5th, and up until now, this story has not been reported on. Can someone give a response, rather than be a snidey thumb-downer ?

“Do you (to men) sometimes wish you were a woman?” “Do you (to women) ever regret being a woman?”

Linking homosexuality and gender issues to paedophilia - really not good.

When confident and experienced women have to act as if they are neither so as not to upset men it seems like the problem is that many men prefer inexperience and innocence because of their own insecurities. This manifests itself in the obsession with young girls but also in denying adult women their full potential and satisfaction in various spheres of life.

I'm with Yubaru on this one... you can't have an entire culture that allows sexual innuendo with extremely young girls (a la AKB, Anime/Manga), or even the widespread schoolgirl fantasy porn without consequences.

Heck, I was looking over the shoulder at a kid's manga at my school and wasn't even surprised to see it full of panty flashes / "Accidental" groping. And we're talking something along the lines of Dragon Ball, not some crazy hentai.

Point being, if you want to stop pedophiles, the best approach is to stop it before it starts.. when a young 12 year old kid is reading manga or watching things like that. and getting off on it, his brain is going to become wired to want more of that thing...even when he's well into his 30s.

The Rorschach ink blot test is an old favorite – show the testee a splash of ink and ask what it represents, the answer being indicative, presumably, of the state of the testee’s psychological health.

Yes. The rough equivalent of a divining rod used to find water in a desert.

Lewd conduct by teachers is causing growing concern.

Concern but it has always been a problem. It is not unusual even in this day and age for teachers to marry former students and there really isn't a stigma attached to it.

There is ZERO safety checks here for teachers like there is home. A huge concern, more so for those with daughters.

Hang on, on July 5th ..... Did Japan Today skip that story ?

You get what you reap....Society and it's glorifying of prepubescent females is to blame and no amount of testing is going to matter.

The test should be given to everyone who works with children, females too! It's discriminatory to only have men take it, but then who would they hire?