Vice seems to have a bee in its bonnet over Japan's so-called "JK industry" of schoolgirl prostitution.
After its provocative and criticized article and video last year, now it reports on a police crackdown on "businesses that exploit underage girls".
The article is written by Tokyo Vice (no relation) author Jake Adelstein, who has made a career out of presenting himself as the gaijin expert on all things Yakuza. Recently he has tried to talk a lot about teenager prostitution too and linking it to AKB48, getting a lot of flak for it.
When a UN investigator visiting Japan ...
When Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, the UN’s special rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, told the media that Japan should "ban sexually abusive images of children in manga" at the end of her visit in October, you might think the manga industry would be the ones to get all hot under the collar.
Actually, the strongest reaction seems to have come from the Japanese government itself.
It was another comment Maud de Boer-Buquicchio made that has stoked up trouble.
She drew on unknown statistics to claim that "Some 13% of schoolgirls in Japan are ...
You see?! Japanese cross-dressing is so rampant that even mainstream corporations sing its praises in their marketing campaigns.
Showing how the otoko no ko "male daughter" subculture is something to admire rather than be repelled by, cosmetics maker Shiseido has released a video promoting the benefits of the brand's make-up.
In fact, Shiseido's cosmetics are so good, they can convince others that you are a different gender.
These "schoolgirls" are not what they seem.
They're guys!
This video of behind-the-scenes footage shows how they did it.
So if you have some ...
Cross-dressing in Japan is different to cross-dressing in other countries.
The rise of the otoko no ko cross-dressing male cosplayer, who may or may not be attracted to other men, has created a great broadening of acceptance of dressing up and gender-bending.
Bibi Lab, who specialize in making some wacky clothes and other household items, are latching onto this boom with the Boku Sera ("I am Sailor") Male Sailor School Uniform.
It's not just a Japanese schoolgirl sailor costume -- but one for guys. It's make of fleece, so it's actually warm in the winter.
Plus it's designed to ...
Hardly is the ink dry on one article about Akihabara schoolgirl osanpo walking dates, than along comes another western report about "human trafficking" in Japan.
Vice News has made Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan, a 17-minute "exposé" about JK schoolgirl prostitution at cafes and other venues in Tokyo.
The presenter travels to Japan to interview schoolgirl prostitutes and investigate "JK culture".
Much of this is innocent enough, from fortune-telling to music idol groups.
But as a near scuffle with a minor gangster on the streets of Akihabara shows, with some of these services ...
Every few weeks an article does the rounds of the world media -- typically a translated news wire piece or something rustled up by a foreign stringer according to overseas editors' demands. The narrative is predictable. Japan is full of sexless youth; Japan is full of sexual fetishes. Japanese anime is child porn; Akihabara is a den of immorality and vice.
Of course, there are elements of truth in all of this but such nuanced, sympathetic approaches are not what gets traffic.
So you see articles like this on Deutsche Welle by Julian Ryall, saying that "Japan's 'maid cafes' [are] a cover ...
Tokyo Gigantic Girls is an insane fantasy brought to video life. Giant-sized cute Japanese girls are roaming the cityscape of Tokyo in all their leggy glory.
A maid. A schoolgirl. An OL. A jogger. A dancer.
These "giants" have invaded Tokyo. To do what?
Well, the girls in Shibuya are taking a selfie or kneeling down to chat on her phone.
The schoolgirl is checking her phone and putting on make-up.
These giants seem harmless enough: they don't seem intent on causing mayhem in the city.
We especially love the maid with her skirt so high up ...
A new PS3 and PS4 video game by D3 Publisher lets you fulfil those panchira fantasies by having your virtual self take secret photos up girls' skirts!
The full name of the game is:
Natsuiro Haisukuru ★ Seishun Hakusho ～ Tenko Shonichi no Ore ga Osananajimi to Sakai Shitara Hodobuin ni Sareteite Gekisha Shonen no Hibi wa Sukupu Dairenpatsu de Igai to Motemotena no ni Nazeka Maimemori wa Pantsu Shashin Bakkari to iu Genjitsu to Mukiainagara Kangaeru Hito Natsu no Shima no Gakuen Seikatsu to Sekirarana Koi no Yukue～
...which has been translated into:
Summer Color High ...
Photographer Yuki Aoyama has managed to persuade the world that he is not a sleazy guy with a lens, but an artist. That takes some skill because his subject is always schoolgirls, particularly sweet and innocent-looking Japanese ones.
What other country in the world would revere a photographer who calls his breakout hit "Schoolgirl Complex"?
"Taiwan Kawaii School Girl" is his new release this month and, as the name suggests, features not Japanese female students but Taiwanese ones.
Can Taiwanese schoolgirls be as cute and alluring as their Japanese equivalents?
It seems ...
The Japan Times has run an interesting story about "JK Industry" sex workers.
It focuses around two teenagers who are schoolgirls working in Akihabara in services ambiguously close to being full-on prostitution but often allowed by the letter of the law.
Seventeen-year-old Momo knows that her customers are keen on doing more with her than the official things she offers.
Momo is among the schoolgirls whom experts warn are prone to gravitate toward the notorious “JK” business — JK being short for “joshi kosei” (high school girls) — rampant in Akihabara and other parts ...
