JK business

The JK business is a commercial activity in Japan that allows customers to engage in pseudo-dating with high school girls. It significantly increased in scale around 2006, after the maid café boom in Akihabara, Tokyo, had died down.[1] The abbreviation JK stands for 女子高生 (joshi kōsei, ja:女子高生), a female high school student. Typical scenario of a JK encounter: a girl gives out leaflets inviting for a JKお散歩 (jēkē o-sanpo, “a JK walk” or “a 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 (Japanese: リフレ, rifure, ja:リフレ).[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] Japan was briefly upgraded to 'Tier 1' status in the 2018[10] and 2019[11] reports, but was downgraded again to 'Tier 2' status in the 2020[12] and 2021[13] reports.

Yumeno Nito, a strong critic of government inaction on the problem, has formed a charity to assist girls in Tokyo.[14][15][16] 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][17][18]

Laws and law enforcement

Various prefectures and police departments in Japan have implemented policies and regulations to crack down on JK business. The police are cracking down on JK business because they can lead to underage prostitution. Several prefectures have amended their Prefectural Ordinance of Juvenile Protection to prohibit JK business. Kanagawa Prefecture was the first prefecture to take action, amending its ordinance to regulate JK business in 2011.[19]

In 2014, police stepped up their crackdown on girls under the age of 18, leading to a decline in the number of establishments where girls serve customers in confined spaces.[1]

In 2017, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly enacted a landmark ordinance specifically targeting JK business, the first in the country to do so. Previously, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, which covers Tokyo, had cracked down on JK business and arrested underage girls using national Labor Standards Act, Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act, and Child Welfare Act. The new ordinance expands the scope of regulated industries beyond the amendments made to the previous Prefectural Ordinance of Juvenile Protection. The ordinance prohibits minors from engaging in activities that arouse the sexual curiosity of opposite-sex customers, such as providing massages, allowing customers to take or view photographs of themselves, engaging in conversations with customers, serving food and beverages to customers, and going for walks with customers. However, if these acts do not arouse the customer's sexual curiosity, they are not illegal. It also prohibits advertisements that give customers the impression that underage girls work in the establishments, even if there are no actual underage employees. Violators of this ordinance face a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to one million yen.[19][20]

In 2018, Osaka Prefecture amended its Prefectural Ordinance of Juvenile Protection to establish regulations similar to Tokyo's regarding the protection of minors. Offenders face a maximum penalty of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to 500,000 yen. Even if the business no longer employs underage workers after the conviction, the authorities may issue a six-month suspension order on the operation of the business. Violation of this order may result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 500,000 yen, and the name of the establishment will be made public.[21]

According to a survey conducted by the National Police Agency at the end of December 2021, there were 131 establishments nationwide engaged in JK business. Of these, 99 provided massage services to customers, 22 provided food and drinks, 7 allowed customers to take pictures or watch the girls, and 3 engaged in activities such as conversing, playing games, or telling fortunes with customers. 71% of the establishments conducting JK business were located in Tokyo, while 20% were located in Osaka. In Tokyo, 29% were located in Akihabara, 29% in Ikebukuro, and 12% in Shinjuku. According to the National Police Agency, however, the number of businesses announced is not the number of businesses where girls are actually serving customers, but the number of businesses that advertise that high school students and others are serving customers.[22]

In 2023, the National Police Agency issued instructions to police departments in each prefecture to intensify efforts to eradicate JK business. These instructions included thoroughly understanding the actual situation, strengthening enforcement measures, stepping up education and awareness campaigns targeting young people, and improving counseling systems for young people.[23]

See also

References
  1. 秋葉原"少女売春が放置されている街"の真実 (in Japanese). Toyo Keizai Inc. 6 January 2016. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  2. "Osaka JK parlors passing prostitution to professionals". newsonjapan.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  3. "In Japan, Teenage Girls Folding Paper Cranes Has Taken on a Whole New Meaning". VICE News. Archived from the original on 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  4. "In-debt idols send wrong message to girls" Archived 2020-08-13 at the Wayback Machine, Japan Times
  5. "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.
  6. Osaki, Tomohiro (4 November 2014). "Notorious 'JK' business exploits troubled high school girls for sex". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  7. "Tokyo police take 13 underage girls into custody for 'JK walking' ' Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion". japantoday.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  8. "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.
  9. "Japan's 'high school walking' listed as new human trafficking trend". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  10. "Japan 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  11. "Japan 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  12. "Japan 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  13. "Japan 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  14. "Activist slams indifference to sexual exploitation of girls in 'JK' industry". The Japan Times. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  15. "Former high school 'refugee' supports troubled teens in Shibuya". AJW by The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2015-07-25.
  16. "INTERVIEW/ Yumeno Nito: Havens needed for schoolgirls in sleazy 'JK' business". AJW by The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23.
  17. "First bill targeting JK industry headed for Tokyo assembly". The Japan Times. 2017-02-16. ISSN 0447-5763. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  18. "Sexual Exploitation of Young Girls in Japan 'On the Rise'". Time. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  19. JKビジネス撲滅の流れにつながるか？ 従来より強力、東京都の規制条例を検証 (in Japanese). Bengo4.com, Inc. 9 April 2017. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  20. STOPリアルJK利用雇用 (PDF) (in Japanese). Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  21. 大人の責任 大阪府青少年健全育成条例 (PDF) (in Japanese). Osaka Prefecture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  22. 「ＪＫビジネス」の営業実態等の調査結果（令和3年12月末） (PDF) (in Japanese). National Police Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  23. 「ＪＫビジネス」問題に係る対策の推進について（通達） (PDF) (in Japanese). National Police Agency. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
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