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Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
ENJO-KŌSAI
援助交際
"compensated dating"
Enjo-kōsai refers to a “sugar daddy” arrangement between a young woman (usually in her early twenties) and a middle-aged man. This sort of arrangement no doubt takes place all over the world, but Japan’s sugar daddies have captured a lot of media attention in recent years. Since the early 1990s, reports have emerged of enjo- kōsai involving underage girls in their mid- to late-teens. To cite one example, a 2001 TimeAsia.com article featured an interview with an anonymous high school girl who described meeting middle-aged men over the internet, then hooking up with these older gents for a quick romp in the hay and $400 “gift.”
Anecdote or Trend?
These reports have obviously scandalized Japanese society. However, some experts have suggested that they are really anecdotal exaggerations masquerading as a wider “trend.” More scientific surveys seem to suggest that most young Japanese women aren’t eager to cavort with middle-aged salarymen for some extra yen. In 1998 the Tokyo Gakugei University conducted a survey among high school girls and college women regarding attitudes about enjo-kōsai. Over ninety percent of the participants expressed disapproval of the practice.
Moreover, it is worth remembering that the media tends to hype stories involving juveniles and sex, because of their sensational value. In 2003, Newsweek reported a similar phenomenon among American teens. The article, “This Could Be Your Kid” (Newsweek, 08/18/03), details the sexual delinquency of “Stacey,” a 17-year-old who “lives with her parents in an upscale neighborhood, gets good grades in high school and plans to try out for the tennis team.” The article then went on to explain how “Stacey” dabbles in the world of teenage prostitution, selling sexual favors to older men in exchange for money to buy clothes and makeup.
The Newsweek article created a lot of buzz among parental groups, law enforcement, and sociologists in the United States. After the hysteria subsided, though, a number of commentators pointed out that there was little empirical evidence to suggest that “Stacey” was part of any larger national trend. Slate.com’s Jack Schafer led the skeptics by dismissing the original Newsweek article as “phony trendspotting.” Shafer cited the lack of hard evidence, and the media’s irresistible attraction to the subject.
Nevertheless, where there is smoke, there is often fire. The Japanese practice of enjo-kōsai—like its American equivalent—is unlikely to be a total fabrication. Moreover, certain aspects of Japanese society may create conditions in which enjo- kōsai is more likely to occur.
First of all, Japan historically takes a permissive stance toward commercial sex. While prostitution is technically illegal, it is openly tolerated in most Japanese cities. In an environment where prostitution flourishes, it is only reasonable to assume that a wider portion of the population will eventually be involved—including some middle-class young women.
Secondly, the “Lolita” fantasy is not the dark taboo in Japan that it is in America. In the United States, any attempt to eroticize teenage girls is likely to provoke a lynch mob. In Japan, however, impish teenage characters are the frequent subjects of adult manga, and Japanese adult film stars of legal age sometimes appear in the seifuku (制服) of high school girls. These ambiguous attitudes have arguably created a “gray area” in regard to the sexual status of teenage girls.
