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Net closes on Japan's online Lolitas
By Suvendrini Kakuchi
March 12, 2003
Tokyo - At first glance, it looks like an innocent posting on the Internet
about a teen crush, with red hearts framing the letters. But the message makes
clear what is being offered: "Anyone who can give me a lot of money, please
e-mail me. I am 16 years old and cute and I charge 30,000 yen" (about US$260).
The Internet in Japan is littered with dating sites that serve as little more
than online bulletin boards where sexual services are offered, and accepted,
for a fee. And it is under-age girls, says the National Police Agency (NPA),
who are the most sought after.
This trend is accompanied by growing crime - several teenage girls have been
killed after meeting men who answered their messages, and among the cases
documented by the police are those of extortion and sexual abuse. The police
figures, released last month, show that of the 1,731 crimes related to the
Internet last year, 787 involved young girls.
The dangers have done little to curb the websites - accessible on the Internet
and through mobile phones - and the services.
The number of crimes involving matchmaking websites soared in 2002 to twice the
number in the previous year, and has pushed the police to consider a new law
that would hold minors responsible for soliciting sex and ban mobile-phone
users under 18 years old from using the online services.
The new law was among the recommendations suggested by a panel - comprising law
experts, academics and police officials - that was set up last October in an
effort to tackle a problem threatening to spiral out of control.
Some girls are only 14, while others are employed by dating websites and are
paid according to the number of clients they have.
"The law intends to make a minor legally responsible for her actions when using
the Internet to offer her sexual services," said an NPA spokesman. "The law is
aimed at protecting them."
The police also said that in an interim review on the proposed law, more than
80 percent of public opinion supported the regulation of dating sites.
Hirotsugi Shimoda, a Gumma University professor who supports Internet use by
children, explained: "Everyone should be equal on the Internet, regardless of
age or gender." He believes that young females, while responsible for luring
men, must also be protected through education and laws and added that in the
end, "The burden of responsibility lies with parents."
Shimoda's view - that children must be held responsible - is a popular one.
Many experts now think that children in Japan are too protected and must be
taught to take responsibility for their actions.
On the other hand, opponents of the proposed law point out that this approach
will not address the wider social causes - such as the demand by men - that
have led to the problem. Instead, some are calling for measures to develop
education and more guidance to improve self-awareness among children.
"I am not surprised many girls sell sex," said Noriko Moriya, a member of
Lawyers for Victims of Child Prostitution. "They sell because there are so many
men who want to pay for their services."
Consumerist pressures play a role too - the police reports show that some girls
under 18 told the police they offered sex so that they could buy expensive,
brand-name fashion goods.
There are laws already in place that help the police crack down on men
practicing enjo kosai, or compensated sex. In 1999, for example, the Tokyo
metropolitan government passed an ordinance prohibiting adults from engaging in
sex with minors under 18 years old. Violators face up to three years'
imprisonment or a fine up to 1 million yen (more than $8,500).
Moriya emphasized that her group is not against legal measures to protect young
girls, but that new legislation must reflect the social context. "It is
important that laws do not detract from the more important issue of making
Japanese society supportive of teenage girls by providing them with a healthy
environment," she said. "Children must be taught before they are punished."
In December, Lawyers for Victims of Child Prostitution presented a proposal to
the Diet, Japan's parliament, that advocated informative sex education in
school. The proposal aims to make sex a subject of more open discussion in
order to raise the self-esteem of women and make them aware of their sexual
rights. This lack of both self-esteem, said the group, has contributed to the
low awareness among girls on the dangers of offering sexual services to men.
The group also wants checks on the technology that has become the staple of
teenage life in Japan. About 10 million users of NTT DoCoMo, Japan's most
popular mobile-phone brand, are minors while more than 60 percent of Internet
users are under 30.
The police have in fact begun to apply pressure on Internet companies to draw
up measures that would control matchmaking sites linked to teenage
prostitution.
Furthermore, the proposed new bill also seeks to punish operators of websites
that do not check the age of people posting messages. Those posting personal
information leading to a sexual encounter involving a minor would, under the
bill, attract a fine of up to 1 million yen.
But the bill is being resisted by the Japan Internet Providers Association,
which represents more than 220 companies, and the Telecom Services Association.
They argue that the regulations could work against sites that people use to
simply communicate with others.
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Japanese anti-porn law aims at child sex trade
1-28-2000
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criticizes Japan for teenage prostitution
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only a little schoolgirl
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‘Enjo
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7-9-2003
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