Some women find escape from poverty in sex trade

What's the point here on JT?

@Yubaru

This is an excerpt from an article in Japan's Friday magazine which has a circulation of around 200,000 (down from 600,000 in the 1990s). Despite its tabloid format, it covers a lot of Japan's less savory social aspects that get little coverage in the mainstream press.

So, I for one am very thankful to JT for bringing news like this to Japan's English-speaking community that many English speakers would otherwise not have access to. It helps keep our community in the loop.

Jpy 150-180,000/month isn't poverty

Are you joking?? Of course it is. You can't live on that kind of money in Japan.

Especially if you have a kid.

I think it is very easy for us to sit here and say that they are wrong, or are committing a crime, but until you are in their shoes, I don't think it is fair to condemn them. Remember this is the country that women are routinely paid less, harassed on the job, forced to quit when they get married or have a child. So if by taking control of their own situation however they must, well I for one won't condemn them.

While it's sad that some/many women find themselves in a position where they need to sell their bodies to survive, the other side of it is that people who would make prostitution illegal without providing some other means of support for women who end up in such a position, are constricting women in that position to a life of abject poverty.

If selling their body is the only option open to a woman in such a position, then why shouldn't they be allowed to do so?

If we don't want women selling their bodies, then we need to come up with ways to keep them out of poverty, not make prostitution illegal.

So, I for one am very thankful to JT for bringing news like this to Japan's English-speaking community that many English speakers would otherwise not have access to. It helps keep our community in the loop

absolutely.

Jpy 150-180,000/month isn't poverty

Are you joking?? Of course it is. You can't live on that kind of money in Japan.

While it's sad that some/many women find themselves in a position where they need to sell their bodies to survive, the other side of it is that people who would make prostitution illegal without providing some other means of support for women who end up in such a position, are constricting women in that position to a life of abject poverty.If we don't want women selling their bodies, then we need to come up with ways to keep them out of poverty, not make prostitution illegal.

Excellent point.

This article

Both the women seem empowered. Not the easiest nor best way out, but it is a way out.

However, there are lots more who are dragged in or just trapped in that world.

And I wonder if the reporter even considered the men and other people drawn into the industry (as suppliers, not consumers) too.

Trinklets: Thanks for not demonising these people and acknowledge them as sex worker: I aviate for them to pay tax on their earnings or extra earnings just me and you. But we also have to pay insurance and other over head if we work as a business. The same should apply to these workers, if they want to declare their work as business or sole trader. In return these worker should be be able to claim deduction like, sercuity, tool of the trade and devaluation on equipment need to run the business like car and computers and software. All the usually stuff a sole trader or partnership or franchise or PTY LTM can deduct.

"180,000 a month is what a lot of first tier companies pay first year employess. They may get commuting and housing subsidies and a small December bonus, but their pay is very low by standards in the developed world, particularly when you consider cost of living in an urban area in Japan."

Not only first year employees, anotherexpat. The ppl I know all have a degree, an 'ok' job, are typically in their late 30s and bring that home, sometimes a bit more when they get bonuses (they are in Kansai), occasionally less. And according to them, its not 'that' bad considering the local context and all know ppl who earn less. Same with my former Tokyo-based J colleagues, many were clearing jpy 200,000 in admin, customer service jobs (plus transport).

My issue with Aly's comment that "ppl earning jpy 180,000/monthly are poor" is that it is imo disconnected from reality OUTSIDE of Tokyo. It actually reminds me of Abe's infamous comment about salarymen on jpy 500,000 while their wife earn 250,000 thanks to their PT job. Out of touch to say the least.

Re "cost of living in an urban area in Japan", as someone who's based most of the year outside of japan I can tell you that cost of living in Japan, outside of Tokyo, is pretty cheap compared to Western Europe or Oz. Again ppl tend to be Tokyo-centric, Paris/Sydney/London etc centric but as MSdelicious says you find decent flats for jpy50-60,000 in the country (and am talking 20-30min train ride from Osaka or other major cities).

Many/most ppl live outside Tokyo, NY, London, Sydney etc and $1500, $180,000jpy, aud2,500, 1,300 euros monthly per person is fairly average in most countries, despite what Mr Abe, Hollande, Trump or Turnbull think or say. Poverty is well below that otherwise the world would be a gigantic brothel (if everyone on jpy180,000 or less were contemplating prostitution that is).

I don’t want to be made to feel a sense of resignation about being a woman.

You mean prostitute don't you?

Lifestyle choice or not, it is work. be it extra money, still no reason to demonise these workers as prostitutes. It a commodity, like Nuclear power salesman or Prison Guard or a Tax collector or a Bank manager. All these jobs are not the jobs most people like doing or proudly spoken off. So pull all your heads out of your moralistic backsides and start recognising that those workers have a place in society like work positions above.

Jpy 150-180,000/month isn't poverty

Are you joking?? Of course it is. You can't live on that kind of money in Japan.

Well I know quite a few ppl who take this amount home and 'do live' with this kind of money, have done it myself when I was younger (as a couple, that's what teachers were clearing monthly). I consider 150-180,000 net per month to be 'poverty' if you're single AND live in Tokyo AND/OR have kids. A couple earning that x 2 (over jpy 320,000 home) live 'comfortably' outside Tokyo, a single person clearing jpy150-180k/monthly have no choice but to learn to live with this amount. Would not call it 'comfortable' but imo it's not poverty either.

Many ppl outside of Tokyo have learnt to live on small wages, not saying it's great but it's just 'normal' for many: jpy180,000/month, rent of jpy 55,000, the rest for food, bills etc. Not all of them look at prostitution as 'the' way to improve their lives. (not blaming those who do though)

Remember that in Japan, "health delivery" stays outside the prostitution law which defines "sex" as including "insertion". You can do anything other than insertion, and that is not legally considered to be prostitution. There is a well-known "health delivery" (or "fashion health") shop here in Shinjuku that has a police box right in front of the entrance, and a bouncer in front of the door. They don't bother each other.

“And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this business, it’s how to attract new clientele,” she chuckles. Hehe? all she needs to do is look good and put out for money. silly story this. it is well known in Japan. Just look online of the number of magazines selling in combinis thatr advertise these services.

I started in Japan with my wife and son on 2200 . I was just enough. My wifes mother helped out a bit. Otherwise we survived.

What's the point here on JT? Promoting and glamorizing and illegal business? Prostitution is illegal in Japan, the trade in human-trafficking throughout the world and in Japan as well, is abhorable at best.

I do not consider myself a prude, not by any means, and believe prostitution should be legal here, as it once was, and regulated as well. Just don't glorify like this while it's illegal and make the casual reader think..."Hey maybe I can do that" and then get their butts arrested or maybe worse.

I don't know about the tax situation, but delivery health services are considered legal. Space and time do not permit me to go into detail but rather than denounce them outright, interested readers should try searching to see what these women provide to customers.

Well I know quite a few ppl who take this amount home and 'do live' with this kind of money, have done it myself when I was younger (as a couple, that's what teachers were clearing monthly). I consider 150-180,000 net per month to be 'poverty' if you're single AND live in Tokyo AND/OR have kids.

My first job in Japan gave me a take-home of 180,000/month, living in the countryside. Every month I spent at least 4 days at the end of the month eating 100yen spaghetti and cup noodles.

That said, the actual defined poverty line is a yearly income of 1.22 million yen/person, which is about 100,000/month/person, so it's true that the given numbers are above the poverty line for a single person, but that for someone with child they would be below it.

Prostitution is legal in many countries.... but I don't see that happening anytime soon in Japan. Its easier for the Yakuza to control if it is kept illegal. The crazy thing is that there do not seem to be as many hangups about sex in Japan... in much of the Western world Religion treats it as quite the sin.

180,000 a month is what a lot of first tier companies pay first year employess. They may get commuting and housing subsidies and a small December bonus, but their pay is very low by standards in the developed world, particularly when you consider cost of living in an urban area in Japan. Add in uncompensated overtime, and their hourly pay differs little from that of part-timers.

Where I live in Kanagawa, you can rent a 2 ldk for ¥40,000 a month.

One can easily live on ¥180,000 on that. With a kid though, not so easy.

inkochi makes a great point in that working in the sex industry actually works out fine for some people. They do it out of free will and seem perfectly happy with themselves. I doubt follow up studies are done, but this contentment may continue until the day they die. I suspect it's mainly high-end sex workers, but that's just my guess.

There are huge problems with the sex industry, but it should not be forgotten that some people, a guess a small minority, are happy to be in it. Regulation.should therefore aim to protect the weak and exploited, but leave those happy to be doing whatever it is they do largely alone.

So 180k is poverty, huh? While in my country you have to live with less than half of it, while things cost indeed less, but not like 50% less, so yeah... it's a matter of perspective between first and second world country. Wish I had a nice job with at least 100k net income.

Prostitution is only illegal here in Japan because of MacArthur and prudish views regarding sex.

Huh? When the Diet passed the anti-prostitution law in 1957 (which went into effect one year later), MacArthur was already long gone. During his tenure, prostitution was rampant.

I see employers selling theirselves to their boss every hour of the of everyday. Is this referred to has prostitution ? It a word which attaches moralistic values. In this case it should not be use to refer to the sex workers. If they are doing anything wrong is not paying tax. the Story does not indicate if tax is pay or not. But this can easy fix. If the person has not pay tax they still can. So no law has been broken. Now if some Company is looking for a bright new manager. I would be looking up Aki and Yuki very soon.

So, what's the big deal? Same thing happens all over the world. For some, it's out of necessity. For others, it's to support a lifestyle. A woman who marries a guy just because he earns a certain salary or works for a certain company is in the same class as women who sleep with men in order to buy brand goods, but with one big difference: The women who sleep with men don't have to stay with them all day, or until death do us part. The married women, on the other hand, are stuck until they realize life is to short for until death do us part with a beer-bellied, overworked salaryman. She could get divorced, but then what would she do for a living? Oh wait...

Aly, I think you need to understand that it is 1.2 million per person. A family of 4 with a stay at home wife would need the dad to be making around 5 million a year to stay above the poverty line. As for the single mother in the article, she needs to be making 2.4 million, or 200,000 yen a month.

Im totally okay with prostitution, however what scares me is, In japan you cannot really tell who does prostitution and who doesn't... some are actually just normal office lady by day and prostitute by night. Some of them are houswives actually, i know someone who was just suddenly got STD from his wife, and found out she was doing deri-herusu as part time work. so you really can't tell, some of your wives or girlfriends maybe doing this kind of work behind your back! and another cons of prostitution is they empower Yakuzas, prostitution is their number one money maker.

I find this really quite depressing...

Pimping, in the most nastiness of sense, should be illegal though. Making prostitution illegal promotes pimps, kidnapping, raping, and health risks.

SO pimping in the "nicest" sense is tolerable? Hmmmm

Prostitution is only illegal here in Japan because of MacArthur and prudish views regarding sex.

clamenza: It has been illegal for only your 3 generation in Japan. It first start in the late 1800,s in England then Europe and America call the "religious enlightening" this mob were the upper class and were for banning the writing of Byron and alike. This wealthy moment got a firm foot hold in politics and was the base of the Suffragette. Since women got the vote, illegal sex soon follow. Politic,s new with a new demographic in the mix of the voter is about 50 % this demography will sway election outcome. So selling sex became a reform and became illegal. A Vote buyer. Before the change, selling sex was like any other unregulated business and there were penalty. These other business soon became regulated because they were not illegal like Bar and Gamble halls and race tracks. All considered social norm like sell sex was before being illegal. So it only been a very very short period of time in man's history that selling sex illegal and that reform was only a vote getter. There was no real public social reform for this like slavery and working condition. It was a reform solely aim at getting the womens vote. You have been feed poor imformation about the history of society. Have a look that society around the world were it is legal and regulaled. There is no social unrest and these worker are part of ecomonics. They pay taxes and pay into super fund and all other regulalion to run a business. At the end of the day it just a business.

On the other hand, many Japanese wives take all salary of the husband, provide little pleasure of living together including sex matters, and torture their husband into total obedience and slavery.

Oh please. Exaggerate much?

I feel pity when I see Japanese fathers struggling to calm one or two crying kids in the Onsen because the wife forced him to act on his duty of taking the kids to the bath. (I have seen countless times how a poor father takes a 6-7 year old daughter to Onsen and cannot relax a bit.)

Right, how dare we ask a man to be a father to his kids and do anything with them. Obviously we should be 100% responsible for raising the kids and not letting them get in the way of father's precious relaxation. How silly of me.

The sex trade is so prevalent in Japan.....Case in point; Yoshiwara, Kawasaki, Kogane Cho, Tobita Yukaku, Nakasu, etc.....There are usually always some sort of adult entertainment shops at any major train station such as "Pink Salon, Fashion Health or Mattress Play".

Prostitution and drugs have been around since the beginning of time and they will not go away anytime soon.....

The sex trade is so prevalent in Japan.....Case in point; Yoshiwara, Kawasaki, Kogane Cho, Tobita Yukaku, Nakasu, etc.....There are usually always some sort of adult entertainment shops at any major train station such as "Pink Salon, Fashion Health or Mattress Play".

Exactly, sakana, we ban prostitution and then create all sorts of "work-arounds" to enable it anyway. It's silly and self-defeating.

I agree with Strangerland on this issue. This activity will happen anyway, so as long as it is between consenting adults we should legalize and regulate it. Women (and men for that matter) could enter and leave the trade as they want without worrying about violence or pimps. I think this would eventually decrease the social stigma as well.

For everybody saying that "prostitution is illegal" in Japan, here some facts:

Prostitution in the sense of sexual intercourse is illegal. This means everything else, BJ's, massages, etc (use your imagination here) is legal. The girls in this article work for “delivery health” (which is misleadingly translated as "outcall sex service"), and which is basically BJ-delivery service.

I am not saying this is a great system, or taking a stance in the discussion points raised, but these are the facts.

and cue the lazy, false narrative that Japanese don't have a "hangup" about sex, unlike the puritan, stuffy old west;

Prostitution is legal in many countries.... but I don't see that happening anytime soon in Japan. Its easier for the Yakuza to control if it is kept illegal. The crazy thing is that there do not seem to be as many hangups about sex in Japan... in much of the Western world Religion treats it as quite the sin.

Ignores at least 3 huge points;

Japan has the lowest birthrate in the world

Japan has a disproportionate number of virgins well into their 40's compared to the west

Religious affiliation and church attendance in the western world has been plummeting for decades.

lazy, lazy, lazy....

Thanks for clarifying stranger, my initial one liner was probably a bit dry ;)

Well, these women probably have an attractiveness factor about them that makes them higher earners in the sex industry. All other women probably have little recourse but to take a low paying job and live in poverty. When exactly is Abe's plan to get women into the workforce at decent wages supposed to happen again? Until it does, the sex industry seems like a far better option that low paying Hakken work

gokai wo maneku: Trust me, no one forgets the contradictions of this nation, and we all know 'prostitution' is as illegal as betting and gambling, or a company making overtime work 'illegal'. You just call it by something slightly different and look the other way, and know full well the insertion is going on for a bit extra but so long as no one gets caught and flaunts it, they don't care. It's just stupid that they bother calling it illegal to begin with when they tolerate it so easily.

Aly, I think you need to understand that it is 1.2 million per person. A family of 4 with a stay at home wife would need the dad to be making around 5 million a year to stay above the poverty line.

About 400,000 yen a month with a wife and 2 kids-yes you would be above the poverty line.

As for the single mother in the article, she needs to be making 2.4 million, or 200,000 yen a month.

That would be very difficult. Other posters pointed out that people get by on less, and yes its true but, those people do not go out for meals nor can they afford a vacation or trip. they live hand to mouth and scrimp and save every penny to get by. That to me is poverty. Just a step up above homelessness. That really is where the vast majority of people are these days. The overwhelming majority of people are poor.

My issue with Aly's comment that "ppl earning jpy 180,000/monthly are poor" is that it is imo disconnected from reality OUTSIDE of Tokyo. It actually reminds me of Abe's infamous comment about salarymen on jpy 500,000 while their wife earn 250,000 thanks to their PT job. Out of touch to say the least.

Mate, if you think that people who earn 180,000 a month are not poor it is you who is out of touch and sounding like Abe, not me. I am the one sympathizing with those people. And just because ALOT of people live on it doesn't mean that they are not poor.

180,000 with kids. Man!!! that poor like really poor. Idoits use the word poverty as a through away line. Mate when you worn poetry a like a a banket on a long cold winters night then one can comment. The only way a Mum with kids can live on that merger amount is with a magic wand.

so incredibly sad that a certain someone here has actually suggested the legalization of prostitution as a solution to women who have trouble making ends meet.

A certain poster who is on record calling Filipino hostess bars and their sex-trafficking victims "good fun".

By all means, lets open the floodgates in Japan and allow young women and inevitably, of course, minors, to whore themselves out to the dregs of society. After all, a little research shows that amount other effects, legalization;

legitimizes the scumbag pimps as well as the scumbag johns. But not the women who will still be seen as whores by society. Well done!

Promote sex trafficking Guess where the bulk of the girls will shipped in from when Japanese girls don't sign up in numbers? Yup, poorer SE Asia. Good for you!

Increases child prostitution - See what happened in the Netherlands. This is Japan. Put 2 and 2 together. Tally-Ho!

Yes, after a little research, I can see why a certain few here would just love to see prostitution legalized.

I support the legalization of prostitution so that it won't put the trade (that will always exist anyways) underground. Everything has to be legit and they pay their fair share of taxes. As long as everyone is a consenting adult, it's fine. The government should have no business in controlling people's bodies. Pimping, in the most nastiness of sense, should be illegal though. Making prostitution illegal promotes pimps, kidnapping, raping, and health risks. Yes, it's unfortunate that some people result to that because of necessity (for both service provider and clientele actually), but hey, sometimes people choose different ways to make ends meet. What I find funny is that porn is legal, and porn is just prostitution on the record......

Much Ado About Nothing

Many good comments.

Still, after all is said and done, I still find it sad that people prostitute themselves.

I liked this article. Be reminded that Family and Love are a bit different in Japan. Marital relations are governed by Money and Duties not Love and mutual pleasure. A sex worker provides services that a sexless marriage does not, and receives only a fair payment. The payment is not for sex, but for her to leave you. On the other hand, many Japanese wives take all salary of the husband, provide little pleasure of living together including sex matters, and torture their husband into total obedience and slavery. I feel pity when I see Japanese fathers struggling to calm one or two crying kids in the Onsen because the wife forced him to act on his duty of taking the kids to the bath. (I have seen countless times how a poor father takes a 6-7 year old daughter to Onsen and cannot relax a bit.) From an economic point of view, this happens because dysfunctional families have created a market for it, and will continue as long as ordinary jobs are paying so little.

@John San, most young women and men alike who are into the sex trade while young don't pay taxes at all. And when their shelf life expires, they'll be working in factories, hotels or supermarkets mostly without paying up social security and if there are emergencies before they reached old age, expect them to be lining up in welfare services. This way, they are fooling the govt twice. Really some people have the luck and the gusts!

@John San, most young women and men alike who are into the sex trade while young don't pay taxes at all. And when their shelf life expires, they'll be working in factories, hotels or supermarkets mostly without paying up social security and if there are emergencies before they reached old age, expect them to be lining up in welfare services. This way, they are fooling the govt twice. Really some people have the luck and the gusts!

Yeah, so lucky to be stuck in a life of poverty where they have to sell their bodies to survive. You must envy them.

Stranger I don,t envy anyone stuck in Japan because they can,t make a better living else where. Where with my arrange of skill. I can. I can fall back on skill and which I select depend on what is paying the most and what have the best condition. People like you have minimum skills but still can gain reasonable employment. These people only employment is the minimum wage or small business. Those most productive in term of money are the illegal business like selling sex. What I am saying yes legalise the sale of sex, so it can be regulated just like any other business. But this seem way to progressive for you and it may have to do with the minimum skill set you have.

Well blow me down, that is a lot of money to swallow.

Not bad money for s'ing a few Ds.

as single, even in Tokyo 180000 is well enough for comfortable not poverty living ... if you can live on that you have serious money management issues or a drinking problem. with kids, no, but then there is the welfare comin in.

Thats said, if you prefer a more fancy living style and have no problem selling your body for that.. why would that bother anyone .. but I think if one does that, they should embrace the prostitute label with pride. Just as its done in countries where its legal and not take offence being called that.

I think the stories of both these women is rather sad. Circumstances have forced them into this trade. It goes to show conventional jobs cannot cover expenses. I am a worldwide traveller and I have heard similar stories in many different countries.

legitimizes the scumbag pimps as well as the scumbag johns. But not the women who will still be seen as whores by society. Well done!

If prostitution is legal, then the women won't need to use pimps, they can work at legitimate businesses. As for the johns, to each their own. And as for being seen as whores by society, for many women there are worse things. Like not having food or a home for your baby.

Promote sex trafficking Guess where the bulk of the girls will shipped in from when Japanese girls don't sign up in numbers? Yup, poorer SE Asia. Good for you!

That's a separate issue. Prostitution can be legal, while still having trafficking illegal. There is nothing that says one requires the other.

Increases child prostitution - See what happened in the Netherlands. This is Japan. Put 2 and 2 together. Tally-Ho!

Same thing. Why would making prostitution legal suddenly make child prostitution illegal?

Nothing wrong with prostitution as long as it's between consenting adults of legal age and proper business is exchanged (money for services).

SaikoPhyscoNOV wrote:

Prostitution is legal in many countries.... but I don't see that happening anytime soon in Japan. Its easier for the Yakuza to control if it is kept illegal. The crazy thing is that there do not seem to be as many hangups about sex in Japan... in much of the Western world Religion treats it as quite the sin.

In Japan, prostitution and brothels weren't outlawed until 1958. You're right about Japan not having much of a hangup about sex. This was especially true before the last couple of decades.

John-San, sorry you are wrong, there have been laws against prostitution in Europe way further back than 3 generations, I know of ordinances in England from the 13th Century, and there were probably laws before that.

This sounds all nice and glamorized until someone contracts a new disease, or some crazy person commits a crime, then only to be shunned by the media exposure.

To the guy who who wrote about his friend wife giving her husband a STD and he was surprised. Well I don't live in his house but I do believe there is two sides to every story. Perhaps he wasn't putting out. My dad always said to me if you don't take care of your wife, monetarily and physically she will find a way to get one or the or perhaps both from some other man.

On the other hand, many Japanese wives take all salary of the husband, provide little pleasure of living together including sex matters, and torture their husband into total obedience and slavery.

Okay there is some truth to this and it is kind of funny to imagine some poor slob living in such a situation. But no one is forcing Japanese guys into marriage. They know the deal and get married anyway. Many men and women just aren't signing up for this anymore. Prostitution does seem to be a bit more accepted in Japan than in many other developed countries. For younger women prostitution is an option when faced with poverty. Many women choose it because they prefer it to the drudgery of the other options.

I have been to Paris, and there were lots of prostitutes on the streets at night, so not sure what JP means.

By selling their bodies? Seems you've missed the meaning of empowerment.

How?

Many ppl outside of Tokyo have learnt to live on small wages, not saying it's great but it's just 'normal' for many: jpy180,000/month, rent of jpy 55,000, the rest for food, bills etc. Not all of them look at prostitution as 'the' way to improve their lives. (not blaming those who do though)

Just because people can survive on it doesn't mean its not poverty. There are many people living on a dollar a day. They can do it. Doesn't mean they're not poor.

That said, the actual defined poverty line is a yearly income of 1.22 million yen/person, which is about 100,000/month/person

That's surprisingly low. I didn't think it would be that low. But even you are single, anything below 200,000 a month is just not sufficient. You can SURVIVE very carefully, but it would be tight. 100,000 yen a month is WAY to low to set the poverty level at. That's my opinion.

Sad that our liberal freedoms seem to only help support these loopholes and/or if not support the system to keep these things around and going strong. as theoleratedone mentioned, with family, people would be able to get through the difficult times. they find a way and don't give up. it would be nice if the greedy top made it possible that women wouldn't succumb to doing things as such. if men had decent wives at home, why even go out and do such. of course some would still do it possibly, i don't know. same with pornography i would think. some of those women seem so quick to want to go out and do that but wouldn't want to be with a broke man in a relationship, despite him trying to make things better. all that stuff really screws up society and people i think. and when they finally decide to 'settle down', could they even really do so? when the crap hits the fan for whatever reason, would they stick around? but i guess that is part of the control and power part, because without it, over half of them wouldn't have a chance with some of these women, maybe. and the women want to survive. but some could survive as some people mention at a low salary, they just want the luxury and status that is glamorised on tv. family should mean more than money and things.

People like you have minimum skills but still can gain reasonable employment.

this seem way to progressive for you and it may have to do with the minimum skill set you have.

What are you talking about?

Prostitution is everyone's possible easiest job. It should be taxed like any other job by the way.

What is heart killing to me is that Japanese men pay those ridiculous prices for sex that should be granted by love ! I am French so many may not understand but I 'd rather attract an ugly nice lady than pay an empty brain one for just sex. Most Japanese, especially ladies, are clueless about what life they could build themselves. Those two examples are self-explanatory.

Both the women seem empowered.

By selling their bodies? Seems you've missed the meaning of empowerment.

With a net of 15 to 18 man and a single mom, why not can one live decently? Has everyone forgot the single mom welfare? Some are receiving it while working in the sex trade of which no tax is paid. Seems like some are fooling the govt with the term. And even without working in the sex trade per se, you spot some who do sell their bodies even inside factories. Living in poverty? Of course not! You'd see them with make ups on and wearing perfumes and using branded goods. Drama sells while obscuring the reality!

These women do not have sex in the true sense of the word. Just chat, fondling, petting and the like. They are not really prostitutes. At all. There very few real prostitutes in a sexual sense in Japan because there is very little market for them.

MarkX: "I think it is very easy for us to sit here and say that they are wrong, or are committing a crime..."

You're right -- it IS easy, about the crime part. When someone is committing a crime, they are committing a crime, plain and simple. It IS that easy. Now, is it "wrong"? I would argue in this case while it may be morally reprehensible and if the woman can't bring herself to tell her family about it she knows what she is doing is wrong, she's not necessarily doing a lot of harm, if any, to anyone. I don't think prostitution should be illegal, but the fact is that it IS illegal. So, yes, again, it is VERY easy to say what she is doing is a crime.

Jpy 150-180,000/month isn't poverty. Prostitution when you're on this kind of money is a lifestyle choice.