A , also known as a or , is a type of entertainers under the age of 18 or 16 who are manufactured and marketed for their image, attractiveness and personality. It is a sub-category of the idol culture in Japanese pop entertainment. Junior idols are primarily gravure idols who are marketed through photo books and image DVDs, but some are also trained in singing and acting. Unlike other child models, idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements by talent agencies, while maintaining an emotional connection with a passionate consumer fan base.
Junior idols have been seen as controversial due to their age, marketing demographic, and involvement in gravure modeling. Even though regulations have been tightened, the entertainment activities of junior idols under the age of 18, who are legally minors, are still in a situation of ambiguity as to what constitutes freedom of expression and what constitutes illegal obscene expression, in other words, the interpretation of the Child Pornography Prohibition Act. In 2014, the Child Pornography Prohibition Act was amended to also prohibit the possession of child pornography by adding the condition of "an image in which sexual parts are emphasized" to the definition of child pornography. This increased the likelihood that images of minors wearing swimsuits and other clothing would meet the definition of child pornography, and some businesses selling images of junior idols have withdrawn from the market.
Definition
Junior idols are entertainers under the age of 18 or 16 who exist in a parasocial relationship with fans who support them by purchasing merchandise. Junior idols are often marketed through solo DVDs or photo books. The majority of junior idols belong to specialized talent agencies, some of which offer acting and voice training and are geared towards the production of television commercials, photobooks, and related materials. Though sources indicate revenue is relatively low for photographic models, a number of idols (and their parents) see this activity as a gateway to more mainstream media roles. In 2011, junior idols were paid up to per photos shoot.
History
The trend of junior idols dates back to the mid-1990s, a period marked by significant increase in the number of child models and works involving individuals in that age range. The term chidol, a neologism of the words "child" and "idol", was coined by columnist Akio Nakamori to describe this new phenomena. Eventually, this term fell out of use and was replaced by "Junior Idol". Compared to chidol, the term "junior idol" plays down the association with age and lends some credibility to the industry associating it with the legitimate mainstream idol culture in Japan.
Distribution
Content is available in many formats, usually physical goods such as bond photobooks, CDs and DVDs, but also digital content in the form of Portable Document Format books, JPEG photo sets, high resolution movie clips, etc. To promote a particular idol, or to celebrate the release of a specific title, certain stores hold special events where fans get to meet the idols, shake hands with them, obtain autographs or take photographs, either polaroids or pictures taken with the customers' own cameras, in accordance with the amount of money spent on related goods (either regular DVDs, photobooks, etc., or multiple copies of the same title).
Concerning the contents of the titles put on sale, these include, in general terms, pictures or footage of the idols trying out a variety of outfits, such as school uniforms, bathing suits, gym clothes, yukata or even maid, police and anime-inspired costumes.
Some services providers, such as —a subscription-based website—also feature short radio and movie dramas, available for download and later purchase on DVD.
Controversy
The junior idol industry is a highly contentious one in Japan. Many Japanese, including some politicians, criticise such depictions of underage girls. Despite such disapproval, as of 2009, stores selling junior idol-related materials proliferate in prominent areas, such as Oimoya, a store located in Japan's well-known Akihabara shopping district. However, the store closed in 2015 due to a 2014 amendment to the Child Pornography Prohibition Act and a decline in customers.