NFSJ Café #17
Views of Two Foreign Students On Japan’s Sex Industry
–Screening of a documentary ”Beyond the Yellow Line”–

“How and why do illegal forms of sex work exist directly under the noses of law enforcement in Japan?”

Two female exchange students currently studying in a university in Tokyo chose to make a documentary as a final research project for a class.

Already burdened and versed in social justice issues like terrorism, genocide, refugees, homelessness, child trafficking etc., with the help of a Japanese woman working in the sex industry, the two students set out on a filming endeavor to delve into Japan’s red light district. The documentary “Beyond the Yellow Line” is the product of their four-month research of interviewing the shopkeeper of a “Free Information Center” in Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, sex buyers, and the sex worker.

Let’s witness the students’ view on Japan’s sex industry (or Fuzoku, as it is called in Japanese) by watching the documentary, then hearing them comment and discussing with them. (The documentary has English and Japanese subtitles:  59 minutes.)

《Date & Time》June 13(Thur), 2019,  19:00～21:00  (Doors open at: 18:45)

《Place》”Space C”,  3rd Floor,  Musashino Place
　　　　　2-3-18, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo
　　　　　 (1 min. walk from the South Exit of JR Musashi-Sakai Station)

《Admission》 Free  (Max.20)

《Reservation》 japan@notforsalecampaign.org
　or indicate your will of participation on the Facebook Event Page

《Sponsored by》 Not For Sale Japan(NFSJ)

《Language》 Japanese & English

(The documentary is subtitled in Japanese & English.　Q&A would be done in either language.　No interpretation provided, but the speakers are bilingual.)

《Speaker》
Ms. Hanako Montgomery and Ms. Tess Rizzoli, the producers of the film, will answer the questions after the screening.

Ms. Hanako Montgomery, who studies Japanese History & Language, Asia & Asian American Studies at a university in NY, currently is studying Japanese language, politics, literature and history at Sophia University in Tokyo. She’s been interested in social justice issues like violence against women since she learned about them in a junior high school class. Her interest in Japan’s prostitution industry was sparked when she visited Osaka with her family and noticed sex workers there.

Ms. Tess Rizzoli is enrolled in the faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies of Cambridge University, UK, and currently studying Japanese literature and society in Sophia University. Shocked by the reality of child marriage and prostituted children in the foreign countries while traveling with her family as a child, as well as the issues of violence against immigrants and women in her ancestral country Italy, her interest in marginalized people continued and she volunteered for 2 years to help the homeless community in Cambridge. Noticing that Japan is not a safe country as she previously believed  and hoping to give a voice for the voiceless people in society, she decided to make this documentary with her friend.

NFSJ Café, sponsored by the anti-trafficking non-profit Not For Sale Japan is a casual learning opportunity with tea and snacks to hear or watch movies on related issues. Come and join us!

Download the event flyer here.

20190613 NFSJ Cafe No.17 Flyer (E)

(Illustration: Nanami Minami)

NFSJ is an active member of SSRC, the Citizens’ Network to Build a Sustainable Society through Responsible Consumption. This is a network of 39 nonprofit organizations that deal with various social issues.

One of its main projects is to produce “Ethical Report Card of Companies” where we review each companies according to how “ethical” they are in their own corporate behavior in terms of human rights, workers’ rights, environment, animal welfare, etc. In 2016 and 2017, we have already graded 22 companies in 5 major industries: food manufacturing, apparel, cosmetics, convenience stores, and package delivery.

(Illustration: Nanami Minami)

SSRC is now calling for donation from general public to support its project in 2018 via a crowd funding scheme called Readyfor.

https://readyfor.jp/projects/ethicaltsushinbo

This fundraising is “all or nothing” scheme, that means, we need to achieve our goal of 1,850,000 yen in 42 days (through November 12), otherwise, we cannot gain even 1 yen.  So, will you visit the site and share it through social media and other means?

It’s a pity that we only have Japanese page but if you are willing to donate, please contact us: japan@notforsalecampaign.org or please see the following instruction that were translated into English for another project that also used the Readyfor platform. It’s not exactly the same as ours, but it would surely help you understand how the system works:  https://readyfor.jp/projects/tokyo-friends2018/announcements/76349
(Please scroll down to find the section “Payment Instruction (English).”)

Thank you for your cooperation!