¶ … fool's love in Naomi by Junichiro Tanizaki Naomi (1924) by the 20th century Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki has often been anachronistically called the Japanese Lolita in that it relates the obsession of a middle-aged man for a much younger woman. (Nabokov's novel was published in the 1950s). Tanizaki's male protagonist Joji is somewhat younger than Nabokov's Humbert and the female heroine Joji is somewhat older (although still a teenager) than Lolita. Rather than a tale of exploitation of a man lusting after a young girl and selfishly indulging his Pygmalion fantasies, Naomi instead functions more as a cautionary tale of the foolishness of patriarchal, idealistic love.

When Joji first spies Naomi, she is a waitress in a local cafe, and he is entranced by what he sees as her movie star-like appearance. Significantly, he compares her 'white' features to that of the famous American actress Mary Pickford, an adult actress who frequently played young children. Joji is taken by Naomi's apparent innocence, and becomes obsessed with making her into the 'perfect' woman. He fantasizes that he can be a father-figure...

She is not as quick a 'study' as Joji first expected. Symbolically, she demands to ride on his back at one point, as if to demonstrate her mastery over him. She refuses to do any housework, for fear of ruining her pristine appearance, and runs up large clothing bills. The fact that Joji is so enamored with America is a significant part of his obsession with Naomi (which is also signified in her unusual name, a relatively rare one in Japan but a common one in the United States). However, she is incapable of learning English properly, once again spoiling his fantasy.
In Japanese culture, the so-called Lolita complex is well-known. Japan has been criticized for sexualizing very young girls in its popular culture, even if the women in advertisements and on television dressed up in childlike attire are actually adults. In 2008, the Asian Times criticized what it saw as Japan's lax child…