What’s the deal with pedophiles and Japan? Or maybe the question should be rephrased as, what’s the deal with pedophilia and Japan?

Just a couple of recent articles on Japundit featured a kind of sexually themed clip that involved women really REALLY trying to look like underage girls. Here’s my examples:

Dancing in Hiroshima: Tasteless or cute?
http://japundit.com/archives/2008/08/29/8885/

The Magibon Song
http://japundit.com/archives/2008/08/29/8889/

I could only watch about 1 second of that “Dancing in Hiroshima” clip before turning it off in disgust. Those girls look like little kids! What the heck are they doing?? Same with the Magibon website. I’d never heard of her. I don’t care if she’s 22 or 32. She (intentionally) looks and acts like a little kid. It’s creepy and disgusting.

I’m not trying to pick on or categorize Japundit contributors and readers. I love Japundit. I understand this interest in sexualizing pre-pubescent girls is a cultural thing in Japan and for some Japanophile Western men (No doubt many of Magibon’s admirers include Western men too). It’s something about their culture that always alarmed me.

My question is, why? What’s the deal? What’s the connection? Can someone who knows a lot about Japanese society explain this to me? And can we send Magibon’s fans to jail?

V