In Japan they�re known as puchi-iede. But you can think of them as cell phone-enabled schoolgirl prostitutes. Earlier this year, newspapers in Japan began reporting on the exploits of delinquents who�ve gone way beyond youthful rebellion.
Teenagers as young as 13 are using cellies to set up assignations with men � usually twice the girls� age � seeking to engage in "compensated dating." New video-display cell phones make it easier to screen prospective dates, giving the girls a sense of safety. "All my friends have cell phones with cameras, so when one of them sends me a snap of a cute guy she met in a café or through a telephone dating club, I can decide if I want to meet him or not," says a 16-year-old from a western Tokyo suburb. "If he doesn�t have a kind face, I don�t have to see him. That�s why having a picture first is so cool."
Such prostitution is illegal in Japan, but it�s notoriously difficult to track. The National Police Agency has yet to react to the puchi-iede reports that roiled Japan, but prosecutors say they�ll bring charges regardless of the technology used to arrange dates.
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