JK business
In Japanese culture, the JK business is the practice of compensated dating with adolescent girls.[1] The abbreviation JK stands for joshi kōsei (女子高生) and means "female high school student". Typical scenario of a JK encounter: a girl gives out leaflets inviting for a "JK walk" (JKお散歩, JK osanpo) or "walking date".[2][3] Earlier the offered service was known as a "refresh business". When police began investigations into the practice of "JK"; the "sanpo business" arose. This is when a girl is paid for social activities such as walking and talking, and is also sometimes referred to as "fortune telling".[4][5] Another activity is reflexology ("rifure").[6] Many of the girls work in Akihabara in Tokyo.[7][8]
The U.S. State Department reported in 2017 that the Government of Japan "does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking", and "continues to facilitate the prostitution of Japanese children".[9] However, in the 2018 report it upgraded Japan to Tier 1 and highlighted that Japan meets the standards for the elimination of human trafficking.[10]
Yumeno Nito, a strong critic of government inaction on the problem, has formed a charity to assist girls in Tokyo.[11][12][13] Cultural anthropologists have described Japan as having a shame culture, creating a barrier for teenage runaways to be reunited with their families, making them vulnerable to recruiting into the underage sex industry.[3][14][15]
See also
References
- Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan. YouTube. 20 July 2015.
- "Osaka JK parlors passing prostitution to professionals". newsonjapan.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
- "In Japan, Teenage Girls Folding Paper Cranes Has Taken on a Whole New Meaning". VICE News.
- "In-debt idols send wrong message to girls", Japan Times
- "17歳「怖いけど、給料いい」 JKお散歩、記者がルポ:朝日新聞デジタル" ["17 years old 'I am afraid, but my salary is good' JK walk"]. www.asahi.com. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- Osaki, Tomohiro (4 November 2014). "Notorious 'JK' business exploits troubled high school girls for sex". The Japan Times. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- "Tokyo police take 13 underage girls into custody for 'JK walking' ' Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion". japantoday.com.
- "Young women in danger / High school girls tricked into 'JK business'". The Japan News. 3 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- "Japan's 'high school walking' listed as new human trafficking trend". The Japan Times.
- "Japan 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- "Activist slams indifference to sexual exploitation of girls in 'JK' industry". The Japan Times.
- "Former high school 'refugee' supports troubled teens in Shibuya". AJW by The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2015-07-25.
- "INTERVIEW/ Yumeno Nito: Havens needed for schoolgirls in sleazy 'JK' business". AJW by The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23.
- "First bill targeting JK industry headed for Tokyo assembly". The Japan Times. 2017-02-16. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- https://time.com/5712746/japan-sex-trafficking-prostitution/