Yeah, as I said, as far as I was aware it hadn't caught on in the west but I haven't looked for it so am probably making an assumption there.

I don't really see the connection between depictions of child abuse, rape, mutilation and murder mystery or broken marriage drama though. Even drama that addresses the issues of child abuse don't really compare with depictions specifically designed to arouse the viewer/reader/player. It seems sick to me. It DE-sensitises people to the subject. Depicting any kind of abuse as "fantasy fun" is foreign to me and I find the idea very disturbing.

The cultural differences may play a part. It's not so long ago that the age of consent in Spain was 13 years old and I believe some US States resisted the raising of the age of consent to what it is today, in line with other countries. I wouldn't think that child abuse affects a child in Japan/The East any less than in the west. A couple of months ago (can't remember where) I read an article that claimed women in Japan were treated as third-class citizens, subservient to men. I remember it saying that women are afraid to report cases of abuse and sexual assault because they would be stigmatised for reporting it. I also remember it saying that assaults in public places like trains and buses are quite common and some have begun to think of it as a "normal" part of life in a Japanese city. In such a "respected" country, if true, that is very concerning and the fact that it is being ignored by the rest of the world is downright worrying. It amounts, in my opinion, to "tacit approval".

Addiction may be a factor too. I'm wondering if the problem is now coming to the forefront because Japan is no longer the leading economic growth region. 5 million people "addicted" to something doesn't happen over night.