What’s the difference between papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) and compensated dating?

Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here as well. As for papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), I believe a certain TV station defined it as receiving money simply for spending time over a meal, unlike compensated dating. So, if the man is someone from that TV station, telling him you want to do papa-katsu would presumably mean you could get paid just for having dinner. In reality, however, papa-katsu refers to the process of looking for someone who will become your papa (a male supporter). What a papa is has practically become common knowledge in this community. I think compensated dating means dating someone who provides financial support, so that person doesn’t necessarily have to be a papa. If there is a difference, perhaps that is where it lies. Incidentally, “papa” isn’t plural. Even if you have several papa-like figures along the way, I think papa-katsu ultimately means looking for the best papa. So it isn’t about dealing with an unspecified number of people. You’re looking for someone who will become your papa. That’s papa-katsu. They’re similar, but dating someone who provides financial support—even if he isn’t a papa—is compensated dating, while searching for a papa is papa-katsu. Would that be the distinction? Both are similar and may not seem very different, but perhaps they feel significantly different to the people involved. Of course, there are probably also papas who misunderstand the arrangement, which makes things complicated.

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member. Strictly speaking, though, they seem to be different. “Enjo kōsai” may involve criminal situations, such as when minors are involved. But if you think of papa-katsu as an ongoing adult relationship where one person provides assistance, support, or encouragement, you may not feel there’s that much difference.