JAPAN: Officials Clamping Down on Underage Sex Offered On-line

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Mar 10 2003 (IPS) - 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 (257 U.S. dollars)."

This is also not a usual solicitation. The Internet is Japan is littered with dating sites that serve as little more than on-line bulletin boards where sexual services are offered, and accepted, for a fee. And it is underage girls, said 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 in February 2003, 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 considering 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 in October 2002 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 – like 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 attorney 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 existing laws in place that help the police crack down on men practising ‘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 (8,565 U.S. dollars).

Moriya emphasised 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 2002, 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, 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 technologies that have become the staples 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 has 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 (8,567 dollars).

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 which people use to simply communicate with others.