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Child Prostitution, Pornography and Pedophilia in Japan
These articles are intended to illustrate that Japan is not as safe and child-friendly as many politicians and members of the judiciary would like people to believe. In fact when it comes to the exploitation and maltreatment of children in the sex industry Japan,
many believe that Japan rates as one of the worst offenders in the industrialized world. A May 2007 article in the Japan Times put it this way:
From pornographic animation to raunchy dolls, Japan leads the world in eccentric products and media that sometime push the boundaries of what people consider to be decent — or even legal. This latest trend of preteen girls striking provocative poses in slinky bathing suits has some people questioning whether this is child pornography and if the parents are actually selling their children for sex.
Junior idol DVDs and photo books are commonly sold right next to hard-core pornography... Last month, 9-year-old Rei Asamizu appeared in "Melty Pudding," a photo book that includes shots of the little girl lying on a bed wet in a thong bikini.... Although there is no full nudity, the scantily clad children are often pictured seductively blowing on the end of a flute or licking an ice cream cone.
Koji Maruta, [a lecturer in the international communications department at Okinawa University] the author of "Enko-shojo To Loli-con Otoko" ("Girls Who Sell Sex and Men with Lolita Complex" — a reference to Vladamir Nabokov's novel
"Lolita" about pedophilia), said that ... "enjo kosai" (compensated dating) and "burusera" (sales of schoolgirls' used underwear) appear to have gone out of vogue, but there is still a huge market of men with fetishes and they are behind the recent outburst of semi pornographic photo books and DVDs...
In a March 2007 Japan Times article former Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki admitted that Japan remains an exporter of child pornography despite government efforts to break the networks.
Although a record high 315 people were detained in 2006 for violating the child pornography law [NEED REFERENCE], that number is believed just the tip of the iceberg.
An unfortunate relationship between divorce and the pornography industry in alluded to by an article from the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry:
"Among teenage and adult populations of females, parental divorce has been associated with lower self-esteem, precocious sexual activity, greater delinquent-like behavior, and more difficulty establishing gratifying, lasting adult heterosexual relationships. It is especially intriguing to note that, in these studies, the parental divorce typically occurred years before any difficulties were observed..."
Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children: A Developmental Vulnerability Model Neil Kalter, Ph.D., University of Michigan, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57(4), October, 1987. (via Fatherless Homes Statistics)
This bodes poorly for Japan, where the official divorce rate is quickly growing to the highest levels seen elsewhere in the world. We also believe that the same social values (or more accurately lack thereof) in Japan makes it culturally
acceptable to both exploit children in the sex business and to abduct them and cut them off from one parent. The adults that do this are exploiting children out of selfishness or a need to control and possess an object. In both cases,
Japanese law allows it. In both cases, the
children can be thrown into a completely unnatural and frightening environment. (Particularly during an international abduction or when maltreated by abusive step-parents etc.)
Just as children exploited for pedophilic purposes may suffer from psychological problems as they grow older, so may abducted children and children cut off from one side of the their family. The result can be juvenile sex crimes against children
continuing from generation to generation.
With Japan's reputation as a playground for pedophiles and people with sexual fetishes, the fact that children -- especially girls -- can be more prone to promiscuity when raised in a single parent family is a grave concern for many left-behind parents.
Definitions
Enjo kōsai (援助交際) - Enjo kōsai or "supportive relationship" is a euphemistic term used in Japan for the prostitution of school-age girls. Older men pay the teenagers to accompany them on dates and although it need not involve sexual activities the majority of customers expect and attempt sexual relations. Prostitution has been illegal in Japan since 1956 but the law banning child prostitution and pornography was only introduced as late as 1999 in reaction to the government being labelled an exporter of child pornography at a meeting in Sweden.
To date enjo kōsai has not been regulated by the Japanese government as the legal definition of prostitution is strictly limited to coitus. This means that the sale of oral sex, anal sex, and many other non-coital sex acts are all legal. These types of businesses are regulated by the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Law of 1948 (Fūzoku eigyō torishimari hō (風俗営業取締法), amended in 1985 and 1999.
In the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child - 2004 it states that, 'The low minimum age of consent, which might contribute to the practice of "enjo kosai", hampers the prosecution of sexual abuse of children." Article 177 of the Penal Code puts the age of consent for sexual activity at thirteen (13) years under Japanese national law. But many prefectures and municipalities have their own laws so the age of consent ranges from 13 to 17 depending on jurisdiction. (See also here and here for further information.)
TBD
Burusera (ブルセラ) - Burusera, or "panty fetishism," is a play on the English words bloomers (buru) and sailor (sera), with sailor derived from the sailor uniforms worn by Japanese schoolgirls. Customers are typically Japanese men who...
Lolicon (ロリコン) - xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lolicon Otoko - Men with a Lolita Complex.
Others???
Related Pages
Child Abuse in Japan
Bullying, Racism and Other Crime in Japanese Schools; Scroll down for section on Teachers involved in child prostitution, molestation of students etc.
Child Prostitution and Pornography in Japan - 2007
Media Coverage of Child Prostitution, Pornography in Japan
(EJ) means the article is available in both English and Japanese;
2008
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Only 20% of child porn sites taken down despite urging of watchdog body; (E) July 4, 2008
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Bill aimed at protecting children under 18 from harmful Web sites passed into law; (EJ) June 11, 2008
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Pimp arrested after sending 16-year-old girl to clients for prostitution; (E) June 11, 2008
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Tax accountant arrested for child prostitution; (EJ) June 5, 2008
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Aichi Prefectural Government official busted for using child prostitutes; (EJ) June 4, 2008
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Gang of 8 busted over sale of kiddy porn; (EJ) June 3, 2008
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Update: Child porn and sex crimes: A slap on the wrist for 20 years of secret images; (EJ) June 3, 2008
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Police failed to identify nearly 1,700 victims of child pornography in '07; (EJ) June 2, 2008
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Police raid 'blind-date cafe' taking 31 high school, college girls into custody; (E) May 29, 2008
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Schoolyard sweethearts blackmail teen-seeking johns; (EJ) May 21, 2008
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Perverted panty-loving teacher busted for having schoolgirl email him obscene photos; (EJ) May 20, 2008
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Naughty schoolgirls serve up 'espressos' to go at 'encounter cafes'; (E) May 15, 2008
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Government plans blocking of child porn sites; (EJ) May 2, 2008; While Western nations make it clear that looking at child porn is illegal, Japan has left it unchecked, drawing international criticism for its lack of measures to prevent child pornography.
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Couple held over forcing girl into prostitution; (E) May 1, 2008
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Kanagawa high school teacher arrested for child prostitution; (EJ) April 24, 2008
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Pro golfer arrested for paying schoolgirl birdie for sex; (EJ) April 23, 2008
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Prefectural government official arrested for child prostitution; (EJ) April 22, 2008
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Child porn still rife on Internet / Lack of authority to shut sites, legality of possession cited as problems; (EJ) April 20, 2008; To make matters worse, even after such Web sites are closed down, similar sites are quickly launched. Seiji Yoshikawa, deputy director of the Tokyo-based center, said, "I believe that the Web sites we have confirmed could be a small fraction of the actual figure."
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Bank employee arrested for child prostitution; (EJ) April 17, 2008
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Schoolgirl prostitute's john tracked down through mobile phone records; (EJ) April 9, 2008
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Pimp for teenage girls in Kabukicho busted; (EJ) April 5, 2008
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Drug suspect arrested for running schoolgirl prostitution ring; (EJ) April 3, 2008
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Police arrest student over child porn, confiscate DVD stash; (EJ) March 28, 2008
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First yakuza arrested in huge crackdown on child porn ring; (EJ) March 24, 2008
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Laws on child porn inadequate / Japan seen as pariah as possession of explicit imagery remains legal; (E) March 22, 2008
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Pimps charged for supplying schoolgirl prostitutes; (EJ) March 22, 2008
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Teeny-bopper deri-heru hanky-panky -- the best little jail bait in Saitama; (E) March 15, 2008; On Feb. 21, the city's juvenile police section pounced on -- sorry, let's make that "apprehended" -- a 17-year-old girl we'll call "Eiko," on suspicion of violating the several statutes related to abetting prostitution by minors. Police allege that over a period of two months, Eiko and several male cohorts operated a ring that peddled three girls, all runaways, to an estimated 70 johns, who paid approximately 1.6 million yen for sex.
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Cops promise crackdown on sick salarymen's dirty desires for 'junior goods'; (E) March 12, 2008; Sick pedophilia featuring Japanese children being openly abused is re-entering Japan via Western countries and being sold in underground video stores in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district, Weekly Playboy (3/17) says. Referred to as "Jr. mono," or "junior goods," pictures of little children being abused are selling at three to four pictures for 5,000 yen or up to 14 shots for a 10,000 yen note.
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Ban eyed on possession of child porn; (EJ) March 9, 2008; The move was decided due to international criticism of Japan over its failure to respond to increasing number of pornography cases victimizing children via the Internet, the sources said. (Interesting that concern over international criticism should be the main decider rather than the protection of Japan's children.)
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Exec arrested for saving half-naked photo of schoolgirl on his mobile phone; (EJ) March 7, 2008; Sawada offered to pay 1 million yen to a 13-year-old junior high school girl living in Tokyo, if she sent a nude photo of herself to him, local police said.
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New bill holds ISPs and webmasters responsible for child prostitution on dating sites; (EJ) February 29, 2008
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Schoolgirl prostitutes' john arrested on child porn charge; (EJ) February 23, 2008
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Juvenile abuse, kiddy porn victims hit record highs; (EJ) February 21, 2008
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Matchmaking site arrests down, but juvenile victims as high as ever; (EJ) February 21, 2008; There were 848 juvenile victims in cases related to matchmaking sites, a decline of eight on the year earlier. Two of the victims were elementary school pupils.
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9 members of child porn ring arrested; (J) February 21, 2008
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Government worker busted for demanding schoolgirl's nude photos; (EJ) February 18, 2008
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Update: Sacked teacher indicted for child prostitution; (J) February 7, 2008
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We must fight child sexual abuse / J. Thomas Schieffer U.S. Ambassador to Japan; (EJ) February 1, 2008; The term "child pornography" misrepresents the heinous nature of this crime. Unlike some people in adult pornography, children are not willing or paid participants. In fact, the majority of images and videos depict the violent and brutal sexual assault of children, most of them younger than 12 years old. We are talking about child rape. Among the Group of Eight countries, Japan and Russia are the only two countries that do not criminalize the possession of child pornography.
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Other articles on Child Prostitution / Pornography for January; (J) January 31, 2008
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Anonymous hotline receives 240 tips on crimes such as child prostitution, trafficking; (EJ) January 31, 2008; Forty-four of the reports were related to human trafficking and 98 concerned incidents against juvenile welfare, including child prostitution, police said.
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Update: Man nabbed for selling kiddy porn to teacher; (EJ) January 26, 2008
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Child sex network uncovered / 5 girls aged 13~16, 3 men held over soliciting on Web 'dating' site; (EJ) January 22, 2008
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'Lolicon' lovers out of luck as cops put the clamps on schoolgirl smut biz; (E) January 15, 2008
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Man pleads guilty to using schoolgirl prostitutes; (EJ) January 10, 2008
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Kiddy fiddlers quivering after teacher's arrest blows lid on Hokkaido child porn biz; (E) January 7, 2008
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President of school PTA arrested for child prostitution; (J) January 7, 2008
Articles from previous years
Child Prostitution and Pornography in Japan - 2007
Child Prostitution and Pornography in Japan - 2006
Offences against Children by Police Officers, Priests, Doctors etc
2008
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Police sergeant arrested for using junior high schoolgirl prostitute; (EJ) June 16, 2008
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Police officer faces charges for flashing at girl working at convenience store; (EJ) June 3, 2008
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Fukuoka police officer arrested for involvement in child prostitution; (EJ) May 19, 2008
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Osaka cop arrested for child prostitution; (J) April 30, 2008; On 2 separate occasions the police officer met two junior high school girls, both 14, through a telephone dating site and took them to a hotel.
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Update: Schoolgirls' sex attacker slapped with new charge; (EJ) March 27, 2008
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Local politician resigns in disgrace following arrest for molesting schoolgirl; (EJ) March 24, 2008
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Tokyo doctor held over molestation of girl, 10; (EJ) March 16, 2008
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Town assembly member arrested for molesting schoolgirl in car; (EJ) March 12, 2008
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Head dentist arrested over child prostitution; (J) March 5, 2008
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Update: Cop gets 2½ year prison term for molesting schoolgirls; (J) February 14, 2008
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Fukuoka gynecologist convicted for molesting patients; (EJ) February 5, 2008; Hirajima performed indecent acts on a 26-year-old woman and 16-year-old girl who came to his Fukuoka clinic after he told them he was examining them. He took photos of their private parts and faces. He was also charged with indecently assaulting a 17-year-old girl in the same way, but the court ruled that had not been the case.
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Yamaguchi police sergeant arrested for child prostitution; (EJ) January 30, 2008
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Fukuoka flasher charged with fondling schoolgirl; (EJ) January 28, 2008; A Kurume welfare facility worker under arrest for flashing his private parts at a schoolgirl has also been charged with molesting another teenager, police said.
Articles from previous years
Child Prostitution and Pornography in Japan - 2007
Child Prostitution and Pornography in Japan - 2006
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