Why is pedophilia common in Japan?

There's a pretty great article written for Time magazine that explains japan's problem with pedophiles. I'll try to summarize as best I can:

Legal age of consent 

"We're asked by international police to help arrest child pornographers, but there's nothing we can do", says Goto, deputy director of the National Police Agency's community safety bureau. Japan's criminal law prohibits sex with minors, but a minor is defined as someone age 12 or younger, and the only act specifically outlawed is sexual intercourse. Taking lewd pictures of children is permissible. Some pornography--both with adults and children--is banned under an obscenity code, but only if it explicitly shows genitalia.

Preventing people from getting their hands on pornography doesn't seem to be much of a threat right now. The country is awash in child porn, and there's little attempt at hiding it. Subway riders peruse pornographic comics that are explicit, graphic and sometimes violent in their depiction of young girls. Porn outlets dot the landscape of Japanese cities, and even mainstream book shops, newsstands and convenience stores sell explicit material. General interest magazines and newspapers also feature erotic photography, as well as advertisements for sex shops and escorts.

Japan's Leadership

The common explanation for Japan's tolerance of child porn is that the country is run by a clique of old men with little sensitivity toward women and children. But it's not just old men who are involved. Most of our customers are in their 30s, says Seiji Wasaki, 27, a clerk in a porn shop in Tokyo's Shinjuku entertainment district. Parliament member Edano, at 34 one of Japan's youngest politicians, views it as a matter of choice. You can't neglect the fact that some high school girls quite willingly do this, he says. If the girl and the man agree to exchange money for sex, and if it's really her will, then it is completely the act of individuals and shouldn't be regulated. The problem, Edano says, is that the girls haven't been properly educated to make an informed decision. A man who frequents teen prostitutes (and who prefers not to be identified) claims that two years ago, the going rate for sex with a 16-year-old girl was $250. Today, men want younger partners. A tryst with a 12-year-old costs more than $400.

There's another theory for the obsession with pedophilia: that Japanese men feel threatened by adult women. Many men are incapable of relating to adult women on an equal stance, says Yukihiro Murase, a professor of human sexuality at Tokyo's Hitotsubashi University. Whatever the explanation, it won't be easy getting a tough law against child porn through the male-dominated parliament. In fact, a similar effort failed last year. But the exposure of Japan's child porn on the Internet may serve a useful purpose for cracking down on this shameful trade, for it has brought the smut out of the insular world of Japan for all the world to see. We feel embarrassed, says parliament member Moriyama. So now we want to hurry up and do something.

You can read the full article here:  Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com

I think one of the common answers will be that child pornography in Japan isn’t nearly as taboo as it is in other countries. I would disagree, as well, with those who argue that it’s due to it being “male dominated” as there are many countries where the government is primarily male, yet there are still laws against child pornography, so I don’t think this is the cause. However, I also have my own theory as to why it’s so common.

I believe that it’s partially due to the work culture in Japan. In Japan, there is a specific word for people who work themselves to death because it actually happens. Work weeks of around 80 hours are not unheard of. I believe this is also the cause of the hikkikomori — individuals that their lives completely cut off from society, choosing instead to live in their homes and never leave unless to a convenience store at night if absolutely necessary — as I think this is a reaction to the insane work environment. However, in regards to child pornography, I think it’s also related, as well. A lot of Japanese males look back on their high school days with a lot of fondness. For them, it was the happiest part of their lives and the look back on it as a comfort to help them get through the harsh reality that they live in currently such as their boss’s extreme expectations, “messy” relationships — I’ve seen lots of interviews where Japanese people didn’t have interest in relationships because they believed that they were too “messy” and I think it’s indicative of the dating culture there —, and their own insecurities and feeling like they can’t have any success with women. I think what a lot of these games, manga, anime, etc. all offer is a “second chance”, if you will, to dating. I think this is the reason why high school romance animes are so popular and why moe is such a huge thing. I think the “romance” part of them never moved away from the high school stage. They still long to date that cute girl that they sat across from but never had the guts to ask out because they believed they weren’t attractive enough for her or something. They look back to those days with fond memories and, I think it’s for that reason that high school romance anime, games, etc. are so popular. Pedophilia material is just an easier way to project yourself into the material and believe you’re there. I think it’s largely just because their emotional/romantic needs had never been met and they simply cut them off after graduation never to consider them again. I think the whole pedophilia thing is just a manifestation of what’s still there inside waiting for them to continue developing in. I think that this agrees with some of the sentiment about relationships being “too messy” because, in high school, they’re a lot more simple, in many ways. Sure there’s a lot of drama, but there’s little to no responsibility in it. That responsibility I think is what makes it seem “messy” to people and you also get the law involved, as well. So, if you marry someone and they want a divorce, then there’s a ton of crap to have to get through and it’s very messy. With younger girls, you don’t have to deal with that sort of thing. I guess in some ways, it’s a bit like a fantasy that they had when they were in high school, but that stayed with them and they never grew out of because they were never able to live it out and see that it’s less special than their fantasy would have them believe — which is always the case for any fantasy.

tl;dr

I would argue that it’s due to extreme pressure from work, adult relationships, etc. that make the fantasies that they had as a kid in high school — the happiest time of their lives, according to many Japanese individuals — that have stuck with them remain so attractive and such a comfort. It’s a mix of a romantic fantasy that they weren’t able to live out in their high school years and it never changed for them as well as something that’s comforting because high school is looked back upon with great fondness. Mixing the two together gives you pedophilia as they, of course, have grown old but still have the “heart” of a high school student who still longs for love that they never got.

I don’t think Japanese in particular have a concept of pedophile. They are not super pro a culture of getting sexually involved with teen or even kids, but they don’t seem to be against that either. I used to live in Japan and worked in a lab. One of my colleges, well in his mid-20s, had a collection of posters of 12 year old anime girls in shockingly revealing dress posing in a very suggestive posture spread out on the wall of his office. He was a PhD. No one would even act uncomfortable around his office. To answer your question, I suppose Japanese tend to equate kids to adult, especially in an anime setting, so that it’s okay for kids to do anything and it’s okay for one to do anything with them. I mean anything.