Joshi Kosei Businesses
Within the past decade, enjo kosai has evolved from an individual network of young girls going on dates with older men, to a more centralized profession. JK, or Joshi Kosei (high school girls), businesses have become the new model for human trafficking and sex work in Japan and are proving to be quite the issue for lawmakers, authorities, and parents. Extremely popular in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, JK businesses are successful in collecting "problematic" young girls in need of money or human-to-human contact, and selling them to men. These girls receive fliers that offer “JK rifure (reflexology),” or massages, and also “JK osanpo (walks),” or nightly strolls throughout the park (Osaki). Even though authorities have been tightening their patrol on potential JK business transactions, there seems to be little acknowledgement of the reasons behind the existence of children trafficking businesses.
In an Asahi Shinbun article investigating JK businesses, the authors conclude that high salaries and quick payment fuel much of the young girls’ motives. An unnamed 17-year-old high school girl explains that the typical walks range from 30 to 100 minutes and pay anywhere from 5,000 ($50) to 120,000 yen ($120) (Nakano and Tsuda). Osaki interviews a number of girls who all state that while the thought of sexually engaging with an older man or being raped are not appealing, surrendering their bodies not only produce physical profits, but also creates a sense of self-worth. For many of the girls, JK businesses provide tuition money for college, or funds for expenses they would not be able to afford otherwise; yet, this phenomenon gets overlooked as a form of precarious work for young girls who feel as though they have no other option. Additionally, the fact that they are also being exploited by a national rhetoric built around neoliberalism allows for the blame to be shifted onto the individual girls instead of the societal structures in place. For two of the high school girls mentioned in Osaki’s piece, Momo and Kaori, feeling as though they are deviant individuals from broken (divorced) homes with no central family structure, being part of a JK business helps reinforce their sense of self—their self-worth. Furthermore, because normal jobs have fixed times and schedules, the precariousness of the JK business becomes more appealing because of the “flexible working style.” Although the JK business is a form of prostitution and human trafficking, the traffickers in charge structure their business in a way that keeps them within the law, while also capitalizing off the vulnerability of young girls. At the same time, Japanese popular culture and media also plays a huge role in convincing young girls that these types of relationships are normal and acceptable.
Nakano, Hiroshi, and Musaka Tsuda. "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." 朝日新聞デジタル. Asahi Shinbun, 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2015..
Osaki, Tomohiro. "Notorious 'JK' Business Exploits Troubled High School Girls for Sex | The Japan Times." Japan Times. Japan Times, 04 Nov. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015..
In an Asahi Shinbun article investigating JK businesses, the authors conclude that high salaries and quick payment fuel much of the young girls’ motives. An unnamed 17-year-old high school girl explains that the typical walks range from 30 to 100 minutes and pay anywhere from 5,000 ($50) to 120,000 yen ($120) (Nakano and Tsuda). Osaki interviews a number of girls who all state that while the thought of sexually engaging with an older man or being raped are not appealing, surrendering their bodies not only produce physical profits, but also creates a sense of self-worth. For many of the girls, JK businesses provide tuition money for college, or funds for expenses they would not be able to afford otherwise; yet, this phenomenon gets overlooked as a form of precarious work for young girls who feel as though they have no other option. Additionally, the fact that they are also being exploited by a national rhetoric built around neoliberalism allows for the blame to be shifted onto the individual girls instead of the societal structures in place. For two of the high school girls mentioned in Osaki’s piece, Momo and Kaori, feeling as though they are deviant individuals from broken (divorced) homes with no central family structure, being part of a JK business helps reinforce their sense of self—their self-worth. Furthermore, because normal jobs have fixed times and schedules, the precariousness of the JK business becomes more appealing because of the “flexible working style.” Although the JK business is a form of prostitution and human trafficking, the traffickers in charge structure their business in a way that keeps them within the law, while also capitalizing off the vulnerability of young girls. At the same time, Japanese popular culture and media also plays a huge role in convincing young girls that these types of relationships are normal and acceptable.
References
Nakano, Hiroshi, and Musaka Tsuda. "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." 朝日新聞デジタル. Asahi Shinbun, 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Osaki, Tomohiro. "Notorious 'JK' Business Exploits Troubled High School Girls for Sex | The Japan Times." Japan Times. Japan Times, 04 Nov. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
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