PAPS Activity Report – April 2025
- Admin
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
— Facing Challenges Without Hesitation in a Shifting Society —
April marked the beginning of a new fiscal year, and also the retirement of Setsuko Miyamoto, one of our founding members, from her role as supervisor. However, due to the ongoing pressure on our consultation and support services, she continues to remain involved. Her advice, grounded in deep experience and a thorough understanding of on-the-ground realities, remains a vital source of support for our work at PAPS.
In addition to this, April brought an overwhelming number of events. It is difficult to fully convey everything that happened. Here, we share just a portion of it in a concise summary.
[1] Counseling Support, Sextortion, Isolation, and Recovery
This month, as in previous months, we received numerous consultations, including cases of digital sexual violence. Our staff continues to respond to each and every case with care. In April, there was an explosive surge in consultations related to “sextortion” (sexual extortion), with as many as 20 individuals needing support in a single day. Despite being under intense psychological and physical strain, we continued to provide assistance at the edge of our capacity.
Spring is often called “the season of hellos and goodbyes,” but it is also a dangerous season when young people are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation. We refer to this period from March to April as the “Dark Spring” and urge heightened awareness and caution.
Why “dark ness”?
Because it’s a time when young people who have just turned 18—the legal age of adulthood—move from rural areas to big cities for school or work. In unfamiliar surroundings, without anyone to turn to, they often feel anxious and isolated. Perpetrators take advantage of this vulnerable timing to approach them.
“You can make easy money.” “I’ll help you make your dreams come true.” With these sweet promises, they lure young people in—only for them to find themselves drawn into the world of the sex industry or sex trade before they realize it. Such cases are no longer rare in urban nightlife districts.
Yet, even amid such circumstances, there are those who manage to change their situations through their own strength or by encountering someone at a crucial moment. They break free from cycles of exploitation and go on to graduate from university. When they share these stories with us, their voices become a powerful source of hope.
But behind this “hope” lies a reality we must never forget.
All too often, that reality includes inescapable home environments, emotional and financial constraints, and experiences of sexual violence. Hidden beneath the surface, these harsh conditions are part of many survivors’ stories. Perpetrators are quick to seize the moment when someone loses their place in the world, when they are isolated and in pain.
“You’ll be fine.”
“Everyone’s doing it.”
“You’re special—just you.”
At first glance, these words may sound kind or reassuring, but they are in fact calculated tricks designed to foster dependency and submission. Perpetrators lure young people into what seems like a place of belonging—but is actually a site of exploitation. There, they gradually gain control over their hearts, bodies, and even finances. To the perpetrator, even a young person’s anxiety and loneliness are nothing more than tools to be exploited.
[2] Challenging the Limits of Takedown Requests and Systemic Barriers
This month, once again, we submitted numerous takedown requests to various platforms for the removal of sexual images and videos. However, the path is anything but straightforward.
On one platform, for example, we encountered systemic barriers such as a rule that states “having a face visible alone is not sufficient for removal.” In addition, vague guidelines and an underdeveloped reporting mechanism highlighted the difficulty of dealing with such cases. Even when reports are filed, they are sometimes dismissed. Despite this, our staff continue to tenaciously examine the content for any possible violations of the terms of service, carefully crafting each submission to increase the chance of success—because we cannot turn a blind eye while someone’s sexual images are being distributed against their will.
On YouTube, we’ve seen a rise in videos where young women walking through public spaces are secretly filmed without consent and treated like objects on display. In handling takedown requests for such cases, we at PAPS are working to protect the personal information of those who come to us for help, while also finding effective ways to act. One of our current efforts is to standardize the format for power of attorney documents required for takedown requests. In one case, this method led to a successful removal. Building on this success, we plan to further standardize our processes to enable quicker and more efficient support for future cases.
At the same time, we face another challenge: inconsistent responses from the same platform depending on the day the request is submitted. There are times when videos are rejected with reasons such as “this content does not qualify for removal” or “this is categorized differently,” while at other times, personal information disclosure requests go through. These inconsistencies can be confusing and frustrating. Some express their dismay, asking, “Why is there such a big difference?” Nonetheless, our frontline staff remain persistent, submitting requests case by case, refusing to give up.
[3] From the Night Streets — The Predatory Business of “Underground Idols”
It was a chilly night in early April, with a steady drizzle falling from the sky. The usually bustling nightlife district was unusually quiet that evening, with fewer people out and an air of stillness hanging over the streets.
That night, perhaps because of the rain and the cold, the usual hustle and bustle of the entertainment district had quieted down. But in place of the crowds, the voices of street recruiters and pimps grew all the more aggressive, creating a tense and unsettling atmosphere.
In that space, we spoke with many young women, mostly in their mid-teens to early twenties. Some stopped to talk. Others quietly accepted our leaflets. Each interaction was a deeply memorable encounter.
One day, we met a teenage girl crouching on the sidewalk, clutching a handbag and glow sticks. She repeatedly said, “My oshi hit me” and “I want to die.” These were not mere words of heartbreak or unhealthy attachment—her statements reflected serious and ongoing sexual exploitation.
She had already spent several million yen on her “oshi” (idol), with the money coming from sex work. She had dropped out of school, and her entire life revolved around this one person.
For her, the idol was likely her only sense of belonging—someone who gave her life meaning. But in reality, the structure she was trapped in was built on a system of intense loyalty, where a charismatic underground idol manipulates fans into striving to become the “TO” (Top Otaku). Achieving this status meant pouring money into merchandise, attending every event—even at great distances—and submitting to increasingly controlling dynamics.
Eventually, her relationship with the idol consumed her entire life. A hierarchy emerged among fans: those who could engage directly with the idol and those who could not.
Behind the elite status of a “TO,” there were expectations of total devotion—financially and emotionally. Massive sums were demanded, and sexual exploitation was casually accepted as a means to meet those demands.
What is often dismissed as mere “fan enthusiasm” or “oshi culture” hides a predatory system not unlike those seen in host club schemes or coercive pornography. Like these, the underground idol industry uses tactics of sexual exploitation and psychological manipulation. This encounter forced us to once again confront the cruel and deeply entrenched nature of this structure.
[4] The Rights of the Deceased and the Risks of Generative AI — The Case of Aki Yashiro
A disturbing issue recently came to light involving the late singer Aki Yashiro. Previously unreleased nude photographs—believed to have been taken without her consent—were reportedly being sold as part of a CD set.
While such incidents have long occurred in the adult video industry, this case signals a troubling expansion into the entertainment world. Once a person has passed away, halting the distribution of such materials becomes even more difficult. This incident raised alarm over the lack of legal safeguards to protect victims posthumously—and the potential for such harm to extend to ordinary individuals.
One staff member expressed profound grief and anger, saying, “Just because someone has died doesn’t mean anything can be done to them.” Another warned that generative AI could soon be used to recreate sexually explicit content featuring the deceased.
Indeed, some online forums were already rife with cruel remarks like “You can’t get off to someone who’s dead” and “Better film the sex tapes while they’re still alive.” A staff member who saw such comments said quietly, “I was left speechless.”
[5] Report from South Korea — Institutional Differences and Shared Lessons
Two staff members from PAPS joined a visit to other organizations supporting victims of sexual violence in South Korea, where they engaged in discussions with women’s support organizations, youth support groups, and members of the National Assembly. One of the most striking impressions was the surprise that non-consensual sex is not yet clearly criminalized in South Korea, along with the high level of interest in how such a law was established in Japan.
On the other hand, it became clear that South Korea has higher statutory penalties and longer statutes of limitations for child pornography compared to Japan, as well as more developed preventative education programs for perpetrators. In 2019, the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center was newly established, offering one-stop support services—an initiative we found highly informative.
Regarding digital sexual violence, we had the opportunity to meet with staff from the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center (KCSVRC), an organization with which PAPS has previously collaborated on victim support. Founded in 2007, KCSVRC is composed mainly of individuals in their 20s and 30s. The organization engages in victim support (including legal aid, psychological counseling, and psychiatric referrals), advocacy, education, public awareness activities, and monitoring and reporting on the commodification of women. We learned that South Korean law has recently advanced, including the 2024 enactment of Article 14 of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, which prohibits the creation of deepfake pornography.
There was also an exchange of views on staff recruitment. In South Korea as well, it is difficult to secure social workers. One staff member from an organization pointed out that it is crucial to recruit individuals who have lived as feminists, adding that if such recruitment fails, the organization risks degenerating into a mere "welfare service agency"—a statement that left a strong impression.
[6] A Moment to Breathe — What Emerged from a Rainy Day BBQ
On a chilly, rainy weekend in late April, about fifteen people—PAPS staff and participants from the Night Café—gathered for a modest barbecue. Though the weather was far from ideal, six or seven café participants still came, and one staff member shared how deeply moved they were, saying, “I was truly happy that so many people showed up despite the rain.” It became a heartwarming and memorable moment for all.
For the staff, it was also a chance to unwind and share in gentle conversation—different from the usual tension and rush of the support field. Smiles came naturally. People reconnected. Laughter and small mishaps were shared, and hearts drew closer in the process. In our day-to-day support work, we often face difficult decisions and emotional turbulence, leaving little room to pause and catch our breath. That’s why moments like these—simply being together—carry more meaning than we might expect.
“Let’s meet again.”
“Hope it’s sunny next time.”
These casual words may seem small, but we believe they hold the power to sustain us through the challenges of the work ahead.
Your support brings healing to those affected by sexual exploitation. Your contributions are a powerful force in the fight to end it.
With just 1,000 yen per month (about 33 yen a day), you can help provide a safe and secure place to stay for women who have nowhere to go—even for just one day a year. 
Just 3,000 yen a month enables us to maintain a lifeline for victims of digital sexual violence for one day annually. 
Just 500 yen a month can make it possible to accompany and support one young woman reached through our nightlife outreach, once a year
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