The JK phenomenon in Japan has grown over the last twenty plus years. A JK refers to a girl providing entertainment to men of various ages. I use the word entertainment broadly for this could involve things from a handshake, a thirty-minute talk or even fortune telling.
Obsession with being enamored by underage girls is universal. The unique thing about Japan is that young girls entertaining much older men seem somewhat mainstream; at least from where I stand.
If one walks through, for example, the Akihabara metropolitan area, it is possible to see these school girls handing out fliers to passersby, advertising “company”. And while many people may say this it is not even an issue that this constitutes pedophilia, I believe it needs closer examination.
The free dictionary define this condition as a paraphilia in which an adult desires or engages in sexual relations with a child.
Regarding the question, is JK 'commercialized pedophilia'? my response is an unequivocal yes. Someone with whom I had a heated debate said no, it is not pedophilia. He said it was a different culture and that outsiders had no business commenting on another people’s way of life. While a part of me seeks to tread carefully around this topic, the other part is inclined to keep on shouting that unequivocal yes—yes, it is wrong to even suggest having anything remotely close to an intimate relationship with a child.
That I am looking at the issue through western puritanical eyes may appear to be a plausible accusation. I am not here talking about sexual intercourse necessarily; instead, I am talking about girls being paid to take long walks with men much older than they are. Or those who read a client’s fortune and flirts with him. The colleague describes these as a harmless endeavor and westerners should keep their noses out of other people’s business.
But children cannot consent, plus Japan has signed up to international protocols on protecting the rights of women and children. There is a lot that can be said about this issue and the film below ventilates the issue in a far more comprehensive way than I ever could.
And if by chance you come to Japan, walk through any of the Tokyo boroughs you will see these girls. And if you take up the invitation, you can look into their eyes and learn their stories.
You may be right, this may be institutionalized pedophilia but the Japanese have always had their own interpretation of sexuality and male-female relations, from where i stand though it is difficult to tell. Japanese people, at least to my understanding are a homogeneous group and most will not actively go against the grain, so may be this is "acceptable" behavior in their eyes. Your post does raise some questions like Where are the parents of these girls? Are they aware of this? i believe the answers to these two questions will settle the dispute once and for all