Thank you, as always, for supporting PAPS and its work. This time, we would like to share a look behind the scenes at the technology behind ProtectionAI, a system PAPS is developing. To keep searching for images of victims, we must continuously collect enormous numbers of images and videos from the internet, detect faces, and match them—without interruption. This part of our work is rarely visible, but keeping ProtectionAI running actually depends on many layers of technical

Thank you, as always, for supporting PAPS and its work. On April 7, 2026, PAPS was invited to the second meeting of the Ministry of Justice's "Study Group on the Regulation of Prostitution", where we spoke about the realities on the ground and the need for legal reform as seen from the field. The study group was established for the national government to review Japan's current laws and regulations concerning prostitution. In this newsletter, we report to our supporters on wha

Once an image spreads on the internet, finding it again is extremely difficult. Images end up on social media, message boards, overseas sites, and video sites—there is a limit to how much can be done by human hands alone. Since 2019, with a grant from the Mitsubishi Foundation, PAPS has researched and developed countermeasures using machine learning, and since fiscal 2022 we have worked in earnest on an AI-powered support system.

PAPS will hold a press briefing on the Ministry of Justice "Study Group on the Regulation of Prostitution" from 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11.

On April 27, 2026, PAPS's Eri Uchida appeared on an ABEMA TV program to talk about the sharp rise in sextortion. From ABEMA TV, April 27, 2026 The program covered sextortion in which money is demanded on the basis of sexual images or videos, sextortion in which former partners and others use images to control the victim, and the problem of sexual deepfakes. PAPS, too, is seeing a surge in consultations from children and young people under 18. Sextortion perpetrators exploit v

PAPS has developed a new leaflet on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for young women in Tokyo’s downtown areas. While most STI materials focus on medical facts such as symptoms, transmission, and treatment, this leaflet addresses the deeper issue: why young people are unfairly forced to bear the risks. By deliberately using the slang term “oji”—a word young people use to describe exploitative older men—it exposes the structures of prostitution and sexual exploitation.

Night outreach in August This summer, in addition to our counseling and support work in Japan, PAPS put energy into international collaboration and communications. We learn from developments overseas as we consider the institutional reforms Japan needs. Through collaboration with international companies, we hope to prevent harm before it happens and let as many people as possible know that there is a place they can safely turn to. We believe that cooperation across borders a

From the Meta Press Release — Protecting Children and Young People from Sextortion — The Specified Nonprofit Corporation PAPS is...

Scenes from the Nighttime Outreach in July Hello, this is PAPS.The height of summer is upon us, and the heat continues—how have you all...

今月は新規相談が398人と多く、そのうち児童の相談はわかっているだけ81件でした。相談者数の増加に伴い、対応スタッフの負担も増え、支援体制の強化が急務ですが、なかなかそこまで手が回ってない現状があります。 その中でも注目されたのは、生成AIによるディープフェイク動画被害に関する相談。わずか１週間の間に2件もの事例が寄せられ、被害の深刻化と低年齢化を肌で感じています。 これらの被害は「性的画像・映像の拡散」だけでなく、被害者の自尊心、学業、交友関係にまで深く影響しており、即時対応と長期的なサポートの両輪が求められています。 緊急対応の繰り返しだけでなく、加害を生まない社会をどう構築するか、これは、支援の現場からの重要な問いかけです。