In Japan they have a weird attitude towards sex. We've all heard about the used underpants vending machine which seems a bit pervy but harmless (though my Japanese friend insists this is an urban myth) - but the most famous one is not quite so harmless. The schoolgirl fetish is huge in Japan and it's called JK.



In Stacey Dooley Investigates: Young Sex for Sale in Japan which you can catch online on BBC 3, Stacey wants to explore JK exploitation. She was disturbed that "sexualised images of children were everywhere" in Japan.

It was only in 2014 that possession of child pornography was made illegal in Japan - it was illegal to make it and distribute it, but not to have it on your computer. Which is pretty crazy, let's be honest.

Advert

For comparison, in the UK, the Protection of Children Act came into play in 1978. That's almost 40 years ago.

But in Japan the schoolgirl fetish can be seen everywhere. There are girls dressed up in high school uniforms on the street.

Men pay to hold hands, go for a coffee and even sleep on the lap of the girls.

It sounds quite innocent, but they have minders, who called the police when Stacey rocked up and started asking questions. Even though it was in a public place and Stacey and the BBC hadn't broken the rules, the police still took the JK minders' side.

Advert

It's not just out in the street, though. The JK fetish continues indoors, too. There are 300 specialist JK cafés in Japan - around 5,000 high school girls as young as 15 work in these places, serving drinks and having special talks with drunk older men.

£35 will get you a chat of 40 minutes with a girl of your choice and free booze.

One customer said: "It's different, Japanese people would probably find it easier to understand, the age gap issue can be off-putting for many people, but in Japan maybe it's our culture, and talking about sex, our attitude is quite different."

This is Gerry, a 50-year-old who enjoys the fantasy. His favourite is 17-year-old Noah, though some girls are as young as 15.

Advert

Stacey: "What do you like about it?"

Gerry: "This is actually cheap, and I can talk with very young girls, my favourite is her, but she's so popular so it's hard to call her."

Stacey: "Why is she your favourite?"

Advert

Gerry: "Because she's good at talking dirty, but she pretends to be like a bit pure."

Stacey: "She is obviously wearing a school uniform, what do you think of that?"

Gerry: "A girl wearing a school uniform seems beautiful, that's kind of crazy."

Advert

Gerry's favourite, Noah. Credit: BBC 3

Stacey: "Do you think she looks cute or do you think that she looks sexy?"

Gerry: "She's looks sexy also, do you think there's' a difference between cute and sexy?"

Stacey: "Yes, I think my niece is cute and I think Angelina Jolie is sexy; for me I don't feel comfortable calling a child sexy.

Gerry: "Ah ok I see what you mean."

Stacey: "Does she give you an erection sometimes?"

Gerry: "No, she's beautiful, she's too young, she could be my daughter, she's underage, she is going to be illegal so she cannot arouse me."

Stacey: "But when she turns 18, then would you maybe like to have sex with her or a relationship?"

Gerry: "Yeah, then I'm going to marry her, and she's going to bare my children, my babies."

Gerry claimed it was all fantasy - but it seems incredibly predatory.

Then Stacey spoke to Noah, who works in the café in between her classes at high school

Stacey: "Is the conversation ever sexual?"

Noah: "Yes some customers talk about sex; they tell me if they've had sex, like they say I did this today. Is it ok to say this, I don't know how much I'm allowed to say, I'm embarrassed."

Stacey: "How often do the customers proposition you? How often do they say please may we do more than just talk?"

Noah: "There are some who ask, we are not allowed to meet outside the café, if we meet outside it is against the rules and I stick to the rules."

Poor Noah - she didn't seem comfortable being asked questions and didn't want to lose her job.

Worryingly, the government has no agencies dealing with child protection when it comes to JK girls.

Youth is really important in Japanese culture and girls know that being a JK girl will get them attention - not to mention money in an economy where half the under 30s are unemployed. But they're not prepared to deal with what could happen if one of the men starts getting inappropriate and the minders aren't there to look after them.

Stacey talked to a non-government agency that helps JK girls. It's offered counselling and support to over 3000 girls in the last year. The organisation says that JK cafes are a gateway to prostitution.

And some of the hostessing jobs are connected to the Yakuza - the mafia in Japan.

Very worrying!

Japan has a history and a culture with a problem with misogyny - and some of it is so weird it's pretty unbelievable.

Vibrator Bar

The JK cafés aren't the only weird bars in Japan. In the Shibuya district of Tokyo is The Vibe Bar Wild One, a place where for just over £20, couples and women can sample vibrators. That's right - it's a vibrator bar. There are 300 vibrators on display and no single men are allowed in.

University Societies Running Amok

Super Free was a social club in Waseda College known for wild parties - the heavy drinking led to it becoming a club that turned into gang rape club. Genuinely terrifying.

Scented Oils

A Japanese adult goods company produced some very disturbing erotic scented oils. Classic flavours like "Girl Armpit" slowly morphed into "Schoolgirl Urine" and "Smell of a Boy's Anus."