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Abstract
This sociological analysis of Japanese underage prostitution focuses on the men who purchase sexual services (“johns”). Throughout the 1990s, many middle-aged, corporate employees (“sararîman”) engaged in “compensated dating” (enjo kôsai) in which a man purchases a date with a female high school student. Dating activities can include dining out, singing karaoke, or having sex. Sararîman have demanding lives and have little time for their physical and emotional needs. Purchasing sex from underage prostitutes allows sararîman to fulfill these needs.
This thesis describes three factors that encourage sararîman to purchase sex from underage girls: education, family, and the corporation. The influence of formal education, the pressures of daily family life, and obligation to the corporation all influence the behavior of sararîman. It is mistaken to presume that Japanese men are born to be johns. Rather, this transformation is a lifelong process starting with education in childhood on through to corporate socialization in adulthood.
