Social Science Japan Journal 12:45-70 (2009)
© 2009 Oxford University Press
Japanese Perceptions of Trafficking in Persons: An Analysis of the ‘Demand’ for Sexual Services and Policies for Dealing with Trafficking Survivors
OTSUKI Nami is an associate professor at the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo. Her specialization is sociology of work and gender. Her writings include ‘Oya wa Kodomo ni Hont
wa Nani o Kitai Shiteirunoka—Otokorashisa Onnarashisa no Kitai kara’ (What Do Parents Really Expect from Their Children? Expectations to be Masculine/Feminine), in NWEC Kenky
Journal (Journal of the National Women's Education Center of Japan), Vol. 12, pp. 83–93, (2008). Her essay, ‘Women in Japan's Non-Profit Sector: Trends and Challenges’, will appear in a forthcoming volume to be published by The Feminist Press (New York) in 2010. She can be reached at the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, 4-3-1 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8938, Japan, or by e-mail at namioh{at}nifty.com
HATANO Keiko is an associate professor specializing in the sociology of education and lifelong learning in the Faculty of Education and Regional Studies, University of Fukui. Her recent publications include: ‘Josei no Ri-da-shippu ni Nani ga Motomerarete iruka’ (What is Necessary for Women's Leadership?) in Jidai wo Hiraku Josei Leader (Female Leaders Opening a New Age), edited by the National Women's Education Center of Japan, Arima Makiko and Hara Hiroko, Tokyo: Akashi Shoten (2008), pp. 196–209. She can be reached at the Faculty of Education and Regional Studies, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-city 910-8507, Japan, or by e-mail at hatano{at}u-fukui.ac.jp
This paper analyzes and discusses Japanese people's awareness on issues relating to human trafficking, based on the results from a 2006 nationwide survey on perceptions on trafficking and prostitution, conducted by the National Women's Education Center of Japan. First, we summarize prior studies on Japanese people's awareness regarding sex and sexual behavior, and then, based on the findings of our survey, we clarify both the conditions surrounding male demands for sexual services and the consciousness of Japanese society overall in supporting those conditions. Additionally, we analyze people's attitudes regarding different approaches to dealing with survivors of human trafficking. Finally, we discuss the kinds of information necessary to educate the public so as to help eradicate human trafficking.
* This article was translated from the Japanese by Lili Selden.