Enjo kōsai

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Enjo kōsai
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Enjo kōsai (援助交際, Enjo kōsai^?), or "dating for assistance", is a practice in Japan where high school-aged girls are paid by older men to accompany them on dates and sometimes to render sexual services.

Most observers, especially overseas, regard it as a form of child prostitution, although it need not involve sexual activities; it often does not even involve kissing or holding hands.

Enjo kōsai is linked with the consumerist kogal subculture. It appeared after the end of the 1980s economic boom, and many observers believe that it serves as a way for young girls to preserve the lifestyle of that era, despite their families' more difficult financial situations. ^{[citation needed]} Others, especially within the Japanese academic establishment, see enjo kōsai as a coming-of-age ritual that has naturally developed in Japan's contemporary capitalist society. ^{[citation needed]}

Prostitution has been illegal in Japan since the 1950s, though the definition of prostitution is narrow — only genital-genital contact falls under the law. Special laws concerning prostitution of minors have been in place since the 1990s. However, enjo kōsai has not been regulated by the Japanese government, as it does not fall within the legal definition of prostitution unless the client expressly pays the girl for sex (which is rare, given the indirect nature of the transactions). Because the age of consent in Japan ranges from 13 to 17, depending on jurisdiction, enjo kōsai clients often cannot be charged with statutory rape.

[edit] Role of mobile phones

The social network surrounding enjo kōsai is complex. Originally, most initial contacts were made through "telekura" (an abbreviation for "telephone clubs"), where male clients paid a fee to sit in a booth and receive calls from participating women, who could then set up a date if they wished. These days, telephone clubs simply supply paying customers with a list of mobile phone numbers to call. Alternatively, mobile phones can be used to participate in merukura, a similar system based on email exchange.

In Japan in 2000, there were an estimated 63.8 million mobile phones users [1]. The Japan Internet Association, a non-governmental organisation, reported that around one in three Japanese high school girls owns a mobile phone that can access the Internet. In addition, around 35% of these are reported to have visited sites containing the text 'telekura', and around half of these have met with their male caller. However, many claim to have met with their callers for a 'thrill', never intending to provide sexual services. ^{[citation needed]} Yoshinari Kokubo, spokesperson for the Japan Internet Association, has declared that his organisation is designing software to act as a filter for this sort of content.

[edit] In popular culture

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The films Bounce Ko Gals (Baunsu ko gaurusu) (1997) by Masato Harada (set in the world of burusera shops and kogals) and Love & Pop (1998) by Hideaki Anno both concern enjo kōsai.
In All About Lily Chou-Chou (Riri Shushu no Subete) (2001) by Shunji Iwai, one of the female leads is blackmailed into enjo kōsai and commits suicide shortly thereafter. [2]
In the controversial manga Neo Gōmanism Manifesto Special - On War, outspoken right-wing social commentator Yoshinori Kobayashi condemns it as being merely "prostitution of schoolgirls going under the misleading name of enjo kōsai" (p8) and considers it a sign of modern Japan's decadence and moral corruption.
The popular series Great Teacher Onizuka (1998) addressed this issue over two episodes (episodes 7-8 in the series of 12).
The Initial D character Natsuki Mogi practiced compensated dating in the first stage; Tokyopop edited this for the North American release of the anime series by having her patron translated as her uncle.
In Gals! the character Aya Hoshino decides to stop doing enjo kōsai when she becomes friends with Ran Kotobuki on the first episode.
In a chapter in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler in the English anime) wrongly suspects Anzu Mazaki (Téa Gardner) is practicing enjo kōsai (the reference was replaced with a "working at a 'nightclub'" reference in later printings of the English manga)
The character Junko from Megatokyo once mentions and is once seen going on dates with older men and getting money from them.