The Japan Times recently published a long and sympathetic article about the sex industry in Japan. It superbly shows how the women who ply their "trade" in the sex industry often do so because of economic hardship. For the past six years, 47-year-old single mother Kasumi Endo has lived a double life. On weekdays, she works all day as a temp-staff office worker to raise her teenage daughter. But with wages hardly sufficient to keep the household afloat, Endo (not her real name) takes a surreptitious trip to Tokyo’s downtown Ikebukuro district on weekends to earn extra money. As ...

It was announced at a press conference yesterday (March 4th) that idol super group AKB48 is now recruiting a new member. Nothing new in that. The difference is that the new girl will be over 30! For a limited time only (April 12th to August 31st), the new 30-plus girl will join the youthful ranks of Japan's largest money-spinning musical machine. Applications for the Otona AKB48 Auditions (Adult AKB48 Auditions) are now open and close on March 28th. Anyone can apply as long as they are over 30; you can be married or single, professional or a total amateur. So do you think we can ...