Global InformationJK business information
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]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Osaka JK parlors passing prostitution to professionals". newsonjapan.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "In-debt idols send wrong message to girls" Archived 2020-08-13 at the Wayback Machine, 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. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
- ^ "Japan 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Japan 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Japan 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Japan 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ "Sexual Exploitation of Young Girls in Japan 'On the Rise'". Time. Retrieved 2021-07-29.