JK business

In Japanese culture, a JK business is the practice of compensated dating with adolescent girls. The abbreviation JK stands for joshi kōsei 女子高生 and means "high school female student". Typical scenario of a JK encounter: a girl gives out leaflets inviting for a "JK walk" (ＪＫお散歩 JK osanpo) or "walking date". Earlier the offered service was known as a "refresh business". When police began investigations into the practice of "JK"; the "sanpo business" arose. This is when a girl is paid for social activities such as walking and talking, and is also sometimes referred to as "fortune telling". Many of the girls work in Akihabara in Tokyo.

The US State Department has reported that the Japanese government "does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking," and "continues to facilitate the prostitution of Japanese children."

Yumeno Nito, is a strong critic of government inaction on the problem, forming a charity to assist girls in Tokyo. Cultural anthropologists have described Japan as having a shame culture, creating a barrier for teenage runaways to be reunited with their families, making them vulnerable to recruiting into the underage sex industry.

See also

• AKB48 § Controversy
• Lolita (term)