newbeefeminist

[newbeefeminist]

Why I’m Against Porn: It Fuels Real Harm

In Osaka, Japan, a 26-year-old elementary school teacher (高橋太史) was recently fired for secretly filming up a high school girl’s skirt on a public bus. When caught, he admitted that “watching voyeuristic adult videos sparked his interest” in this behavior, and he had done it over 100 times.

This isn’t just an isolated incident. It’s a disturbing example of how pornography can directly influence real-world harm.

Sadly, cases like this are far too common in Japan. And while society often emphasizes “individual responsibility” or even blames victims for how they dress, we rarely confront the deeper cultural forces that shape these behaviors including the role of porn.

Pornography is often dismissed as “just fantasy” or a “personal choice,” but the reality is far more complicated. It normalizes exploitation, objectification, and predatory behavior. It plants dangerous seeds that can grow into real-life violations like this teacher’s repeated crimes.

It’s time we stop pretending that porn exists in a vacuum. It shapes desires. It informs behavior. And too often, it leaves real people hurt.

We need to have a serious, honest conversation about what porn teaches and more importantly, who ends up paying the price.

— newbeefeminist 🐝

[newbeefeminist]

Learning About Feminism is Learning How Society Screws Over Girls

So, I just read about this awful case in Nagoya, Japan—two elementary school teachers got arrested for secretly taking upskirt photos of their own students. Little girls, just going to school, trusting these creeps. And it gets worse: they were sharing these photos in a group chat with other teachers, like it was no big deal. One of them even put his bodily fluids—yeah, that gross—on a student’s stuff and in their lunch. It’s so messed up I can barely type it. The police say it wasn’t just one guy; there was a whole group of teachers egging each other on.

The Law Misses the Point

Here’s what really gets me: in Japan, putting bodily fluids on someone’s stuff or food is apparently its just considered as “property damage” (器物破損). Like, the crime is about ruining a lunchbox or a meal, not the fact that a girl was violated in this deeply personal way. It’s like the system doesn’t see our trauma, our boundaries, or our dignity, just a thing that got “damaged.” It’s a perfect example of how society treats girls like objects, only valued for what they’re “useful” for. If your lunch is messed up, sure, that’s a crime. But the emotional and psychological harm? Good luck getting that recognized.

When “Just Fiction” Isn’t Just Fiction

This case isn’t some random tragedy, it’s part of a bigger problem. In Japan, real child pornography is illegal, but stuff like manga, anime, or stories sexualizing kids? Totally fine. There’s whole genres, like “lolicon” (yep, that’s about young girls) and “JK” (high school girls), and it’s everywhere. I used to think, “Okay, it’s not real, so maybe it’s harmless.” But now I’m not so sure. If the culture’s cool with sexualizing fake girls, doesn’t that make it easier to see real girls the same way? Those teachers weren’t reading comics—they were making their own twisted version with real kids who trusted them.

How Culture Sets the Stage

Those teachers didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be creeps. They’re part of a world where sexualizing kids is brushed off as a “fantasy” or “just a kink.” When society says that’s okay, it’s no shock that some people cross the line. The way we talk about girls in media—real or not—shapes how people treat them in real life. Feminist writers like Gail Dines have pointed out that stuff like this normalizes exploitation, making it easier for predators to justify their actions. Those teachers saw their students as objects, not people, and the culture around them didn’t exactly scream, “That’s wrong.”

Feminism Shows the Bigger Picture

Learning about feminism isn’t just about equal pay or women in politics. It’s about seeing how girls get screwed over every day—by laws that don’t take their pain seriously, by media that turns them into objects, by systems that let predators hide in plain sight. It’s about power, plain and simple. And right now, girls are the ones losing, especially in Japan.

Those girls in Nagoya deserved so much better, and it’s got me wondering, what’s being done around the world to protect girls without stomping on free speech?

Share what you know, please, I need some hope!

— newbeefeminist 🐝

[newbeefeminist]

When women defend sexist men

After Yuichiro Tamaki’s sexist remark at the political conference, one of the people who defended him was a woman named Kana Shindo.

Apparently, Kana Shindo used to work as a gravure idol, a type of Japanese model who appears in bikini or lingerie in magazines and photo books. It's not porn, but it’s heavily focused on the male gaze. Gravure modeling sexualizes women’s bodies, especially focusing on breast and butt.

And honestly, I get it now, at least a little.

It’s easier to please men than to challenge them

I've seen this pattern before, in media, in workplaces, in politics, even in school. Some women choose to align themselves with powerful men, even when those men say or do sexist things. Not because they support misogyny (I hope), but because it’s easier to flatter men than to resist them.

But I still feel lost

Honestly, I don’t know how to find common ground with women like Kana Shindo.

Is it possible that some women actually like being objectified by the male gaze? Or maybe... they’ve just gotten used to it after being exposed to it for so long to the point where it starts to feel normal. That idea scares me, especially because of how normalized sexual objectification of all ages is in Japanese culture.

Child objectification is still legal in Japan

Children are not exempt. While Japan’s law makes real child pornography illegal, fictional or suggestive content involving minors (like lolicon, junior idols, anime/manga) remains legal under the banner of freedom of expression. Junior idol DVDs and swimsuit photo books featuring underage girls have even been sold openly in mainstream shops which is disgusting.

This means girls often grow up being watched, judged, and sexualized before they even fully become aware of it. When that starts early and never stops, it’s no wonder many women become numb to their own objectification or may even mistake it for empowerment.

So when I see women defend sexist men — or defend the system — I wonder:

Are they truly empowered?

Or have they been trained to accept it as normal?

Either way, it feels wrong to me.

— newbeefeminist 🐝

[newbeefeminist]

This is sexist, right?

I was watching a political conference on TV when Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, made a comment that really upset me.

He was speaking in English, trying to explain why his party struggles to gain support from women. He said something along the lines of:

“It’s very difficult to understand for them.”

That’s what I heard. That’s what many people heard.

To me, it sounded like he was implying that women just don’t understand politics, as if the problem wasn’t how policies are communicated, but rather that women lack the ability to understand them. That felt incredibly rude.

Later, Tamaki apologized and said his English was poor — that he meant to say “difficult to deliver to them,” not “understand.” But I honestly don’t know if I believe that. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t erase how condescending it sounded in the moment.

And then it got worse

The comment quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter). A few progressive politicians criticized him, calling the remark sexist. But what really shocked me was seeing female politicians publicly defend him. They said things like:

“I’ve never felt he was sexist.” “He didn’t mean it that way.”

That made me feel even more uncomfortable. Like I was being too sensitive or overreacting.

Why this matters (to me)

I’m Japanese, and I guess Japan is one of the more sexist developed countries out there. Honestly, it’s something I feel more and more the older I get. I’ve grown up hearing things like “don’t take it so seriously” or “he didn’t mean it like that” every time someone — especially a man in power — says something dismissive about women.

I’m new to feminism, but I know what I felt when I heard Tamaki’s comment. It felt condescending, and it reflected a deeper issue, the way women are still talked down to in politics, media, and everyday life. And just because some other women didn’t feel offended doesn’t mean it wasn’t sexist.

Sexism doesn’t always show up as something loud or violent. Sometimes it comes wrapped in polite language, on national TV, and people act like you're overreacting if you notice it.

What’s even more frustrating

The media barely covered it. His questionable remark wasn’t treated as a headline. It just faded away like it didn’t matter. And I’m pretty sure Tamaki will stay as party leader with no real consequences. Just another reminder that people in power rarely have to answer for the things they say — especially when those things hurt women.

What I’m asking

Does intent matter more than impact?

Why do some women defend sexist behavior, even when it’s clearly harmful?

And how do we speak up — especially in Japan — when silence is the default?

I don’t have answers. I’m still learning. But I needed to write this down.

Thanks for reading. If you have thoughts, I’d love to hear.

— newbeefeminist 🐝