Chiyoda ward in central Tokyo bans “walking dates” with Japanese high school girls

In the latest Olympic “clean-up” operation, now Chiyoda ward — a large district in central Tokyo — is following the efforts of police in Akihabara to crack down on “walking dates” passing new local legislation to ban them from April 1st.

In so-called “JK osanpo” men meet with girls they believe are high school students (the “JK” stands for “joshi kousei”) and go on a “walk” with them, often culminating at a love hotel. These may be services that are prostitution in disguise or they may be more covertly arranged through individuals over websites. Some people don’t just want sex, though. Patrons might want to purchase the girls’ clothes or other items to satisfy their fetishes.

This man is Akira Shibetani (30), who was arrested last October for paying ¥18,000 (about $175) for the underwear of a high school student during one Akiba walking excursion. She was 17 and he had met her through an internet bulletin board, where she offered to sell her underwear to people who reserved her services at a “JK Osanpo cafe”. Shibetani and the girl’s promenade ended at a karaoke place in Chiyoda Ward, where she took off her panties for him and also let him touch her genitals.

Shibetani confessed that he liked girls who hadn’t reached maturity yet and got excited by the smell of sweat.

No penalty for the Chiyoda ban has yet been announced, though there will be people patrolling the streets to hunt for high school girls walking with older men.

What’s next? High school girls banned from chatting to members of the opposite sex?