Why Are Japanese Men Paying Ordinary School Girls to Date Them?

One of the most visible results of an ever-changing Japan is enjo kosai, or 'dating for assistance'. The practice cannot truly be called prostitution because sexual intercourse does not necessarily occur. Nevertheless, this is a sex trade and the teenage girls who participate are sex workers. No wonder older Japanese are shocked and confused by the way young people are responding to the new environment. They're not alone, as every major newspaper in the world has seen opportunities to cover this eyeball-catching story on taboo sex. But every major newspaper has missed the truth of what is happening and what is necessary to stop it.

What IS happening? A student revealed to her English teacher (a friend of mine) that she was dating her juku (cram school) teacher. It isn't clear if she received money from this man, or if the two had intercourse. As in many cases, the relationship may have been based on trading the girl's company at a commercial area for purchases made during the 'date'. The irony of having her juku tuition partly refunded was apparently lost on her. She did not express guilt or shame at this 'secret' relationship. She told her teacher this fact, simply to share a personal part of her life or to boast playfully as she would with a close friend. This exchange, which may or may not include actual sex, has been completely normalized for those who practice it. It's as if girls were selling dates in order to seem normal. The relationship with the juku teacher might be taboo to foreigners or to her elders, but it validates her amongst her school mates.

Enjo kosai did not simply appear out of nowhere. Two unprecedented conditions arose within isolated Japan. First, the post-war industrial cartels had fully matured and unleashed their profit making enterprises on the rest of the world. The economic picture is complex, but it suffices to say that there was a bubble with rises prices all around.