New law to ban kids from online dating sites

[Maciamo]

New law to ban kids from online dating sites

With the bill, the NPA wants to ban phone users under 18 from using the online services, which have become a hotbed of child prostitution, pedophilic activities and other crimes.

At least a move forward. Good for the international opinion, but does it go against Japanese mentality and culture ?

However, NPA (National Police Agency) officials believe the situation in Japan is unique. "The declaration concerns children who are sexually exploited against their will as a result of poverty and so on. We believe children who willingly solicit are not victims (of sexual exploitation)," a spokesman for the NPA's Safety Bureau said.

Ah. A step forward, a step backward. Let's dance !

"We are fully aware of the argument that underage sex-seeking adults are solely responsible for child prostitution," the spokesman said. "However, in reality, children are no angels. So we have reached the conclusion that online soliciting needs to be regulated just like pimping on the streets. "We hope the new law will make children more sensitive to standards of society."

Wonder how many European children are seeking adults for money via their mobiles or Internet. Never heard of any case in the press. Japan is so unique, that's wonderful ! (sarcasm)

Over 18s who solicit online by pretending to be underage and children who post a message offering their sex without real intention to prostitute also face punishment. The planned maximum punishment against offending children is a fine

By the simple law of money, that means that children should go to the end and never refuse to give in when adults solicit them. Otherwise, they'd face a fine (=lose money) instead of making some. Sad, but that's exactly the kind of reasoning that pushes teenagers to sell their body.

[Chakan]

I believe it's a good idea. I'd like to see it go through, with some modifications. Something along the lines of forcing the providers to use some kind of reliable method of verifying a potential members' age.

Wish we had similar attention to this problem setup in America... I've scanned the personals with my friends when we were bored (usually to laugh at some people... I'm horrible), and saw way too many under-aged girls listed in fairly... well, let's just say their intentions were way too clear. It's not hard to lie to a machine. You just tell it you're 18.

[thomas]

The article has moved

=> http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/archi...fp022000c.html

Just ban kids from buying Gucci, Prada, Luis Vuitton, Chanel and all other golden calf brands - that will immediately stop them dating lewd oyaji.

Just stumbled across this headline:

Principal held for paying minor for sex

The principal of a famous vocational school in Tokyo was arrested Saturday on suspicion of paying a 16-year-old high school student for sex, police said. Kiyoshi Oikawa, 40, principal of Ochanomizu School of Business and president of an organization running the school, is suspected of paying tens of thousands of yen to a high school girl from Saitama Prefecture at a hotel in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in late September.

The police said Oikawa was aware the girl is younger than 18. It is illegal for a person to pay for sex with minors aged under 18. Oikawa and the girl became acquainted through a dating service Web site, the police said, adding that he has admitted to the charge.

=> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20021230b2.htm

[thomas]

Dating sites a hotbed of child prostitution: NPA

The number of crimes involving Internet matchmaking sites soared in 2002, with close to half involving child prostitution, a police report released Thursday has shown. The report, issued by the National Police Agency (NPA), uncovered a total of 1,731 incidents involving Internet dating sites last year. Of these, 787 incidents, or about 45 percent involved child prostitution. The figure was roughly double the number of incidents that were reported the previous year.

Serious crimes including murder, rape and robbery rose to 100 incidents, up 27 from the year before, the report also showed. By type of crime, child prostitution and pornography hit 813 incidents, while crimes that violated child-protection ordinances, such as sexual acts with children, accounted for 435 incidents, about double the previous year's figure.

Six incidents involving Internet matchmaking sites ended in murder in 2002, the same number as in 2001, but robberies increased to 24 incidents, 14 more than the year before, while rapes jumped nine incidents to hit 53. The number of indecent assaults also rose by four incidents, to 14. In addition, 128 incidents involved violence, intimidation, assault and blackmail. Of the 1,517 victims, about 84 percent were minors under the age of 18, the report showed. A total of 698 of the victims were high school students, while 367 were junior high school students. About 20 percent of the 1,514 people apprehended in connection with the crimes were under the age of 20.

=> http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030...dm009000c.html

Related link:

National Police Agency

=> http://www.japanreference.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=586

[Luz-chan]

Well, I'm going to be neutral on this matter. The thing of it is, you don't know who you're talking to. For all you know, it might be a sick, sexual pervert whose idea of a good time is raping boys and girls.

[kirei_na_me]

"However, in reality, children are no angels. So we have reached the conclusion that online soliciting needs to be regulated just like pimping on the streets. "We hope the new law will make children more sensitive to standards of society."

*SIGH* Composure, composure.... Doesn't it seem like they always want to shift blame onto someone/something else even though it is completely irrational? I'm sorry, but I just get that kind of "Japanese" attitude a lot, and it gets to be kind of irritating, to say the least.