“Materials of children under 18 that were clearly created for the purpose of fulfilling sexual excitement should be regulated as child pornography,” Shihoko Fujiwara, head of the nonprofit organisation Lighthouse, told Agence France-Presse.
“I think many people will see the logic of protecting free speech, as long as no actual people are harmed,” he said.īut Japanese campaigners said they would increase pressure on the government to tighten the law. Kanemitsu said he did not believe Japan’s resistance to expanding the ban to include manga would damage its international image. Therefore it is a rejection of an art style popular in Japan.” Many male and female artists in Japan draw characters in an art style that looks childish to western eyes. meant sexualised depictions of childish looking characters in manga and anime. “Child pornography entails the involvement of children, and we must confront it for that reason. “There is no such thing as manga and anime child pornography,” he said. Dan Kanemitsu, a manga translator, accused de Boer-Buquicchio of “mixing reality with fiction”, adding that there was a difference between abusive images featuring actual children and depictions of childlike characters in manga. Manga artists and publishers have long resisted government attempts to ban certain images, labelling it an attack on freedom of expression. About 90% of the victims were female, including 60 who were of elementary school age or younger. Action was taken against 659 people in 831 cases, the highest numbers since twice-yearly records began in 2000, according to a preliminary report issued by the national police agency last month. What is worrying is that there is a trend which seems to be socially accepted and tolerated,” De Boer-Buquicchio said.Īccording to Japanese police, the number of under-18s who featured in sexually abusive images rose to a record high of 383 in the first half of this year, up 58 from the year before. “All these are obviously lucrative businesses.
The material is easily available in DVD and photo book form in Tokyo. Japan’s inaction prompted criticism from overseas, with describing the country as “an international hub for the production and trafficking of child pornography”.Īmong the actual images of children not covered by the new law are photographs of children in skimpy outfits but with their genitalia concealed. Previously, Japan had been the only G7 country where it was legal to own videos, photographs and other imagery depicting sexual crimes against children, provided there was no intention to sell them or post them on the internet. There was a grace period of a year to comply, but lawbreakers now face prison terms of up to a year and fines of up to 1m yen (£5,500). In June 2014, Japan banned the possession of child sexual abuse imagery after years of delay, but disappointed campaigners by not including the multibillion-yen market in manga comics, animated films and video games.