preface: I am not in any way condoning or promoting sex with minors, nor am I blaming the minor. The assailant is a criminal, deserves punishment, and the victim is just that: a victim

With regards to the discussion specifically about cost and availability there are a few important things to note:

1. The victims were not trafficked, pimped, or otherwise “sold” by a third party. The transactions were all 1-to-1 between the victim and assailant

2. The victims ranged from age 15 to 17, and had a comparatively high degree of self determination and autonomy, including typical societal pressures and desires for money, popularity, etc

3. Japan has a long history of acceptable prostitution. Brothels are still much more common than in the West and you will find lots of references to “compensated dating” including among teens.

4. Sex and sexuality is not as stigmatized in Japan the way it is in the West. From idol culture to advertisement, women (and to a lesser extent men) are comparatively more frequently compensated for their sexuality, even if not for sex outright.

Combined with the fame and access to industry contacts that the perpetrator had in this case, these factors all serve to create a much different environment than westerners are used to and drives the prices for these kinds of interactions down.

Again, I do not condone or support sexual relationships with minors, nor do I place any blame on the victims. I seek only to inform about factors that may have impacted the amount of money exchanged