| This is a Reuters story that I copied a
few weeks ago. It's interesting in and of itself, but it also adds on to the March 3, 2003
fun fact about panty vending machines. |
| Jan 19, 2004 - TOKYO
(Reuters) - Tokyo's used panty sellers are among the targets of a raft of new
regulations to be considered by city lawmakers in an effort to protect minors from the
Japanese capital's thriving sex industry. |
| Finding a way of preventing the lucrative
trade in young girls' underwear, which media say can command 10,000 yen ($94) a pair at
sex shops, is among recommendations in a report presented to the city on Monday by an
advisory body on youth issues. |
| Operators of sidewalk vending machines
that dispense pornography are also likely to be asked to ensure that sales are not made to
minors by requiring that all machines accept a drivers' license as proof of age. |
| Publishers, as well, may be asked to
comply voluntarily with a proposal that they wrap sexually explicit magazines to prevent
children from browsing through them at book shops. |
| The proposals also call for a ban on
children under 18 entering Internet cafes and karaoke centers between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.,
to be enforced with a fine on business owners of up to 300,000 yen ($2,800). |
| "The aim of these proposals is to
create a zoning system to keep the world of adults separate from that of children,"
said Tatsuo Mizuno, a Tokyo government official. |
| "It is the responsibility of adults
to do this." |
| Concern about the sexual exploitation of
minors, often in exchange for cash or gifts, has grown in Japan in recent years, with many
offenders using Internet dating sites to contact children. |
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