Tokyo bans high school girls from working in ‘JK businesses’

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School girl pop culture is quite prevalent in Japan and has been used over the years in marketing to boost visibility of campaigns to customers. However, Tokyo is aiming to put a stop to clandestine activities born from this trend.

Tokyo will soon be banning girls, or those referred to as “joshikousei,” from working in businesses that may lead to illicit acts, effective July 1, 2017.

Joshikousei or “JK” is literally translated as female high school student. It became a commonly used shorthand when the schoolgirl pop culture boomed in the 1990s.

The term “JK business” later on became prevalently used to refer to businesses that offer close, personalized customer service from high school girls to male patrons, reports Mainichi Shimbun via RocketNews24.

The idea of receiving “close, personalized customer service” from a high school girl may sound like a euphemism for sexual acts, but JK businesses claim they don’t offer such services. Not officially, at least. JK businesses are originally known to refer to services such as taking a walk with a girl, getting a massage from her, and just spending time with her.

However, the circumstances place a male patron and a girl in a one-on-one semi-private setting, which can easily lead to under-the-table transactions. Such dealings even have a term for it: “ura opu,” short for “ura opushon” or “secret options.” In other parts of the world, the term “extra service” would be the appropriate equivalent.

Tokyo government was deeply concerned with “ura opu” thereby prompting it to pass a municipal ordinance that prohibits girls under 18 from working in JK businesses. It is the first legislation in Japan to specifically target JK businesses. Similar provisions can be found in other cities but worded out differently, such as the Prefecture’s Ordinance of Juvenile Protection in Aichi.

The ordinance has a list of criteria to describe JK businesses. One is that they offer services in which the worker comes into contact with customers solely of the opposite sex. Another is when these businesses explicitly state that the services are performed by a minor. Lastly, the business or transaction runs the risk of arousing a customer’s sexual interest towards a minor.

On the other hand, the new ordinance will not affect other service businesses such as hostess bars, massage parlors, and the like, where women over 18 may dress up as school girls.

It is also worth pointing out that maid cafes and other similar establishments appear to be in a gray area. Here, employees sit with and entertain customers in a more personal manner but is done so in an open, non-private and shared dining area. Alfred Bayle/JB

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