In
Japanese culture
The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world.
Historical overview
The ance ...
, the JK business is the practice of
compensated dating with adolescent girls.
The abbreviation JK stands for (), a female high school student. Typical scenario of a JK encounter: a girl gives out leaflets inviting for a JK () or in English a JK walk or a walking date.
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". Another activity is
reflexology
Reflexology, also known as zone therapy, is an alternative medical practice involving the application of pressure to specific points on the feet, ears, and hands. This is done using thumb, finger, and hand massage techniques without the use of ...
("rifure").
Many of the girls work in
Akihabara
is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...
in Tokyo.
The
U.S. State Department reported in 2017 that the
Government of Japan
The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...
"does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.
There are various ...
", and "continues to facilitate the prostitution of Japanese children". Japan was briefly upgraded to '
Tier 1' status in the 2018 and 2019 reports, but was downgraded again to '
Tier 2' status in the 2020 and 2021 reports.
Yumeno Nito, a strong critic of government inaction on the problem, has formed a charity to assist girls in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. 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.
See also
* Gyaru
( ja, ギャル) , is a Japanese fashion subculture. The term ''gyaru'' is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word .
The term for was introduced in Japan by the American jeans company ''Lee'', who introduced a new line of je ...
* Kogal
is a Japanese fashion culture that involves schoolgirls wearing an outfit based on Japanese school uniforms (or their actual uniforms) but with very short skirts. The short skirts are worn irrespective of the season. The girls may also wear l ...
References
{{Prostitution in Japan
Prostitution in Japan