crime

Japan to ban possession of child porn, but manga, anime exempt

87 Comments
By Miwa Suzuki

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2014 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

87 Comments
Login to comment

Of course those are exempt. Yet, just as obscene and I really resent sitting next to someone reading these on the train.

-8 ( +13 / -22 )

Who else thinks pervs are creepy?

-3 ( +11 / -14 )

About time Japan caught up with the rest of the world.

-4 ( +9 / -13 )

dissenters warning of the danger of allowing the government to control the press

Paedophiles have tried the human rights defence in other countries too.

What about children's basic right to enjoy an innocent, unmolested childhood?

8 ( +19 / -12 )

This is just weird - Japan should ban all child porn, no exception. So disgusted.

-5 ( +13 / -20 )

In order to encourage disposal of material, the penalties would be delayed for one year after the revised law comes into force.

I'm at a lost as to how this works. Just means they can hang on to it legally for a year. Actually I'm at a loss figuring out the whole stupidity of this manga exempt half baked freedom of expression thing. I guess you can't put brains in monuments.

-4 ( +6 / -11 )

So frontal nudity in movies is banned but pedophilic manga are okay? Riiiiiighhhhhht.....

11 ( +17 / -7 )

I think Japan should not accept to back on this even for an inch! They can take their case to the International Court of Justice and argue that child eroticism is part of Japanese culture and other countries should try to understand and respect that!

-26 ( +9 / -35 )

Intriguing to me was the paragraph above that reads: "Japan is seen as a major global source of child pornography in photo and video form, after the United States and Russia" AFTER the UNITED STATES and RUSSIA

Deviant sickness is deviant sickness, make no mistake. But people involved in this argument need to be careful. Human depravity does not appear to be cultural.....

13 ( +14 / -1 )

"...mainstream comics read by commuters sometimes contain sexualized images that many Westerners find unpalatable."

??? How insulting is that?  I'm a 'westerner' myself but I find this is an appalling line to include in an article as it begs the question: do people of other races and ethnicities (ie: Indian, Chinese, etc.) somehow find sexualized images palatable?

This line implies maybe they do.

What a crock.

Besides that, yes, I think all child porn - real images and anime - should be banned - no exceptions.

This new law has kind of backfired on the  politicians who voted for it as people can now ask, "so you're ok with anime child porn? You didn't vote against it so I guess you are...."

6 ( +11 / -6 )

I don't think that the government prohibiting the sexualization of children in comics or anime is something which is a step back to the prewar days.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

el - I too have often wondered about Japanese censors fixation with pubic hair/genitals and their need to pixelate such images to protect social morals. A few years ago, a long thought lost original, historical footage(1920's) of native Papuans first contact with outsiders was unearthed and shown on nhk I think. To my disbelief the naked natives genitalia were blurred.

But the exploitation of children through degrading images, to satisfy the lustful urges of men(mainly) is ok.

Go figure???

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Unfortunately the human mind is not as civilized as we would like to believe and the problem with child porn and predators have only gotten worse. There are more cases of children getting abducted and exploited then you want to believe. It is an epidemic that degrades women and children and destroy men.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

A revised law would ban possession of photographs and videos depicting real children, but would exclude manga comics and anime videos

Get ready for the explosion of hentai featuring animated children, that is about to fill the void. Banning child pornography is a good step, but falls a little short.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

I think Japan should not accept to back on this even for an inch! They can take their case to the International Court of Justice and argue that child eroticism is part of Japanese culture and other countries should try to understand and respect that!

Who are you kidding?? There is absolutely no way the international court of justice would rule in favour of Japan if they tried to claim that child eroticism is part of it's culture... another example of Japan wheeling out the "culture card" to avoid upsetting the establishment....

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

While it is unusual to see people openly reading pedophilic manga in public, mainstream comics read by commuters sometimes contain sexualized images that many Westerners find unpalatable.

"..many Westerners find unpalatable." Really? So are we to believe then that the change in attitude toward pornography and more importantly pedophilic manga is to satisfy us gaijin and global trends? Are you implying the Japanese do not find the mainstream comics that contain sexualized images unpalatable? I think Japanese would find this statement to be insulting to their intelligence and not to mention their moral decency. Nearly half of the commuters are female and your telling us that they are perfectly comfortable with it! I might agree that apathy is a large factor but I've seen the expressions of disgust and watch men and women alike cringe at the site of of it. You say it is unusual to see people openly reading pedophilic manga in public but please explain that to a mother with a young daughter standing next to me on the Keio line some years back when some scumbag salary man had open a manga with depictions of high school girls being raped and clearly visible to all of us. And please don't comment by saying how didn't I know it was a young woman who was in cosplay depicted because I'm sure the young girl standing with her mother didn't know the difference and the mother could care less. I wasted no time in making my position know to him by reaching down and, let say as politely as I could muster, closing the manga for him with a stern look of disapproval to accompany the action. The message was well received by the individual but more importantly by the mother who seemed relieved that her daughter no-longer had to be subjected to this obscene trash.

“It fills a big hole in Japan’s zero-tolerance policy against child porn.

That has to be the most infactual and delusional statement when the following lines read;

Japan is seen as a major global source of child pornography in photo and video form, after the United States and Russia. Images that can be legally possessed in Japan show real children being abused, raped and molested, campaigners have said.

And what's with a one year grace period for destroying this garbage. In order to encourage disposal of material, the penalties would be delayed for one year after the revised law comes into force. The lowlife who got that phrase put in to the legislation must surely have a mighty nice stash of questionable material he doesn't want to let go of!

2 ( +6 / -4 )

nedinjapan and nostromo: Where in the article does it say that any Japanese nationals are against banning posession of child porn?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They're only banning porn with REAL kids! Be thankful at least!

10 ( +12 / -2 )

I was only using some sarcastic fun to poke at this news. But don't you see? A big part of the Kawaii culture revolves around eroticizing childish looks. Pretty disgusting but true!

4 ( +9 / -5 )

They should fine the manga artits who draw such garbage.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

Anime kiddy porn? People are weird!

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

Anything that promote child sex should be banned and no exception to this rule.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

A revised law would ban possession of photographs and videos depicting real children, but would exclude manga comics and anime videos, following calls to protect freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression? What exactly are they trying to express? That it's ok to have an unhealthy liking for child porn? Sickos!

-5 ( +6 / -12 )

Japan edged closer to banning the possession of child pornography on Wednesday, the last major developed country to do so, but pedophilia portrayed in the country’s popular manga and anime will be exempt.

A step, albeit a small one and one long overdue, in the right direction. Let's hope it gets done, and enforced with more than a slap on the wrist.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Some have stated that There's a difference between fiction, & reality. but if manga imagery of child pornography elicits a response by an individual and that leads to child falling victim as a result does it not demand the same importance and legal consideration as real imagery? Shouldn't that make the issue of more priority than the argument of an artist to have freedom of expression. If they publish it then there must be demand and who else but someone with questionable morals and possibly ill-intentioned notions would by any material depicting children in sexual circumstances in the first place. The government strictly regulates imagery in adult videos but isn't that restricting artist expression?

Looks like there are a lot of thumbs-down to comments that support banning imagery of child pornography.

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

Umm... what?

The draft law that moved through committee on Wednesday says anyone who “possesses child pornography for the purpose of satisfying his/her sexual interest” could be punished with imprisonment of up to one year, or fines of up to one million yen.

Bit lenient, isn't it?! These creeps should never be allowed to see the light of day again. And why stop at the exploitation of real children? Why is animated material exempt?!?! Am I missing something here?

This is so ridiculous it's almost non-news...

-5 ( +2 / -8 )

Putting aside the immediate gross-out factor and squeamishness of the topic material, it's important to consider the ramifications of banning what people can and cannot draw. If you think that's an acceptable thing to do, for any topic, you should maybe think on it a bit more.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Welcome to the 20th century.. oh wait...

2 ( +6 / -4 )

it's important to consider the ramifications of banning what people can and cannot draw. If you think that's an acceptable thing to do, for any topic, you should maybe think on it a bit more.

I've thought about it and feel perfectly comfortable with banning ANY imagery depicting children in any sexually explicit context. If some freak wants to sit in his bedroom and do it for his own personal gratification, I don't know, but for some who call themselves artists, I have a better word to describe them but to avoid having my post deleted will leave it, who make profit from it and for a publisher to distribute this filth should find themselves in jail next to the pedophiles who read their material then acted upon it and molested a child!

NO need to consider more about it at all.

-8 ( +4 / -12 )

Japan to ban possession of child porn, but manga, anime exempt

Please tell me this is a joke...

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

In a society that places the highest value on unfettered communication among adults, any law restraining them in the name of shielding children deserves severest scrutiny. No civilized person likes kiddie porn, but sometimes the governmental cure is worse than the social disease.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

very sick , but the country keep's the comic's the government showed the world they like the kiddie porn comic's

-10 ( +5 / -15 )

Animators must be breathing sighs of relief that they can still propagate kiddy-porn in Japanese society.

-9 ( +4 / -13 )

One of the reasons for the exemption of porn in manga is that depending upon the definition, there is a lot of it about. There is a repeated scene in Doraemon (the Japanese robo-cat loved all over Asia) where Nobita sees a local girl, Shizuka Minamoto, naked in her bathroom, and is filled with embarrassment and perhaps some lust.

There was great emphasis on pornography thus being difficult to define. While any depiction of sexualised children, and sexuality for children is considered obscene in many places, Japanese manga for school kids contain what could be described as soft porn (girls in bikinis), and the occasional glimpse of nakedness, and depiction of teenage lust even in manga about detectives (Lupin) and pirates (One Peace's hero Sanji, and all his nosebleeds).

Indeed, as documented by John Embree in Suye Mura (village) Kagoshima, traditionally childhood was not a time free of sexuality but rather one in which one got to know sexuality through play. This from a review of Embree's book about the period c 1935-6 "While the actual sex act is very private, jokes about it and imitation of it in dances are both free and frequent. Young children, especially boys, often play at sex games, jokingly chasing girls and exposing themselves." < http://www.amazon.com/Suye-mura-Japanese-village-Phoenix/dp/B0007DRP3U/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=09N7D9BCQACV01FMV7R1>

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Why do the oyajis wanna exempt child porn manga and anime....BS...that sick crap should be banned as well. No exemptions, they can find themselves something more normal to " read".

Because it's a victim-less crime? Nobody is actually hurt by a cartoon, no matter how obscene. If you want to advocate it's ban on the grounds that it's degenerate, that's one thing. But conflating actual child pornography with cartoon depictions isn't right.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

It is SIMPLE. Nobody or no government can legislate morality. What a farce. It is a good investment is smuggled pornography. The price just went up, and there are plenty of consumers.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

This law goes too far. Someone could frame you by planting child porn on your computer. We give the government too much power.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

There are a lot of more holy than thy posts. Why should Japan give the Hague veto power over our laws? Will the USA give the world court veto power over its laws? Anyhow it is cartoons, next you will want to put people in prison for stick child porn. This will make real child porn illegal. Why do foreign people want to dictate laws to Japan?

0 ( +8 / -7 )

Dagnabit - People can draw anything they like, but there should be no outlet for selling material depicting incest and child sexual abuse. I don't know which is creepier, the people that draw it or the people that read it! However, I do know that, anyone that gets their jollies from this kind of material should be seeking therapy and removed from society until they overcome their mental illness.

-9 ( +2 / -10 )

Because it's a victim-less crime? Nobody is actually hurt by a cartoon, no matter how obscene. If you want to advocate it's ban on the grounds that it's degenerate, that's one thing. But conflating actual child pornography with cartoon depictions isn't right.

Within every society there are shared values and throughout history laws have been adopted that reflect those values with the aim to keep harmony and peace in society. When someone views any form of pornographic material on the train for example many find it morally offensive and worse yet if it depicts children. It wasn't long ago that shops started putting publications that contained nudity into plastic wrap to prevent readers from standing inside the shop and viewing it as people had complained about being exposed to it while shopping. Japan is a country still slowly coming to grips with women breast-feeding in public which I find fascinating as so much else is acceptable so values change and so do the laws and social norms. Yes, there are victimless activities but this is clearly not one of them and claiming this is artistic expression and a violation of freedom of expression is anything but convincing. Can anyone show us where there is any data that shows manga cannot affect peoples sexual desires because some of the manga magazines and manga videos seem pretty realistic. I do agree with the fear of police discretion and Japanese legislation can be vague in-order to give that discretion to the them in determining who has broken the law or not but that is not reason to give up and say we can't find a solution that convicts those who indeed have crossed the line.

I say ask the people and let the chips fall where they may. It's about there kids and shouldn't their voices be heard over the voices of some sick manga artists?

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

@yuriOtani There are a lot of more holy than thy posts. Why should Japan give the Hague veto power over our laws? Will the USA give the world court veto power over its laws? Anyhow it is cartoons, next you will want to put people in prison for stick child porn. This will make real child porn illegal. Why do foreign people want to dictate laws to Japan?

For the same reason you seem to question Why?

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Why is some 'Manga' so obsessed with the sexualisation of children?

-4 ( +1 / -4 )

There are a lot of more holy than thy posts. Why should Japan give the Hague veto power over our laws? Will the USA give the world court veto power over its laws? Anyhow it is cartoons, next you will want to put people in prison for stick child porn. This will make real child porn illegal. Why do foreign people want to dictate laws to Japan?

To protect Japanese children from being molested by mentally unstable japanese men who often confuse reality with virtual reality or fiction.

Someone has to stand up for the inocent, even if your own government won't .

-7 ( +3 / -9 )

If production and distribution is prohibited how one can possible possess it? It's stupid and new law doesn't change anything anyway.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

@Gosenx

If production and distribution is prohibited how one can possible possess it?

Is this a serious question? Have you not heard of the terms "The Internet' or "The Black Market" ?

The fact that Japan still hasn't banned the possession of child pornography is a jaw-dropper that completely poleaxes anyone who learns of it. How can a 'modern' country be such a massively long way behind the rest of the world? And the fact that paedophile manga is still not going to be banned says a lot about the society.

-4 ( +3 / -6 )

PEdophiles exist everywhere. But Russia leads. Then theres USA and australia. And then Japan.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

I'm all for the outlawing of child pornography. Involving real children only. What an adult does with their favorite fictional or cartoon kid is their business. Like with violent movies,,video games, comic books etc . the armchair sociologists are quick to place the blame. It's a lot more complex issue than what you read or even listen too. For example, do you people who are posting really believe that rock music causes people to suicide? Or foul languages causes aberrant behavior?

3 ( +6 / -4 )

I see a lot of undervaluation of freedom of speech here.

Banning porn of real children, I can understand and agree because real children are hurt.

But objecting to manga and anime versions is just ick. One you allow something to be banned not based on strong evidence of real harm, but Ick, you can justify something else, and another. Like a rolling snowball. Until we are back to the bad old days.

As for other countries, I am of the opinion that Japan should refrain from joining them. Once people think they've got freedom of speech, they undervalue it and allow it to be clipped at the edges. Hate speech laws. No porn. More and more things are deemed "un-necessary" and cut.

Perhaps it is an inevitable process that humans never really learn and have to be bit in the butt from time to time, but i"m all for slowing the regression as much as possible.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

@overchan

I think you'll find that there are more convictions in those countries because possession of child pornography is already illegal, and has been for decades. If the J-police do their job (never a certainty) I expect the conviction rate in Japan to soar.

@Cary Layton

What an adult does with their favorite fictional or cartoon kid is their business.

Manga is much more powerful in Japan than 'cartoon kids' in the rest of the world.

do you people who are posting really believe that rock music causes people to suicide? Or foul languages causes aberrant behaviour?

I don't. But then, rock music isn't illegal, nor is violence, bad language or strong pornography in films. However, child-porn is illegal, because it most definitely puts children at risk and is enjoyed exclusively by dangerous perverts. The same goes for child-porn manga.

-7 ( +1 / -7 )

Japan is seen as a major global source of child pornography in photo and video form, after the United States and Russia.

So disgusting and unbelievable. Recently I have realized that there are many incestuous fathers cases have risen in those nations. How could the society tolerate the matured grown up adults become animals? There may be something wrong with law makers and porn addicted lobby groups.

-2 ( +1 / -4 )

I'm guessing that comics vilifying people by race are also OK, say a comic depicting all Japanese as short with bad teeth and glasses would be OK?, or maybe justifying Slavery, how about one about how cool the Nazis were (think I've seen it) A comic about child rape would I think top all of them as perverted, mass produced available at a local convenience store. Thank god there are less children to be targets for the sick people who read this vile filth and fantasize about them. Art by the way stops being Art when it's mass produced.

Moderator: Please repost without the first paragraph which is not relevant to this discussion.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Good! I'm happy fiction isn't included. We need to protect the rights of human children, not colorful drawings.

5 ( +6 / -2 )

YuriOtani you are right , they want to ban porn to promote some violence , watching porn scientifically curb the violence inclination , many people is considering porn as a way of relief of difficult unapproachable goals in life

Any way it's not my business , but porn shouldn't be quickly banned , that's my opinion

2 ( +3 / -1 )

It's my guess that a lot of people posting don't have children or have confused there familiarity with manga from what this article is actually referring to. If you have actually seen this filth with your own eyes, maybe on a train or passing through a book store, you would probably feel very differently. Maybe it won't bother you till you have kids of your own and you're off to Disney Land with them and have some sicko, and anyone who buys this filth is a sicko, thumbing through the pages with your kids watching. But then again, maybe it won't bother you what-so-ever because hey, freedom of expression is what it's all about.

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

Many posters are focussing on manga, whereas the new legislation is for photographic&video child porn - which brings me to the BIG question - why has it taken so many years and so much external pressure to introduce this legislation, when it has been clear that real life childrens rights have been abused and violated? Why the hold up? Why the foot dragging with the sexualization of real kids?

I shudder to think of the real answer.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Got an opinion : well voice it ! go into your local convinie and get irate about the said manga ,, maybe then some thing wiil change , him and hawing about it in the internet will change nothing.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

People seem to forget drawn characters have no birth certificate and there is no way to visually see their age unless told through written word. Sure, you can distinguish a baby from a ten year old. But how do u distinguish a 13 y/o from a 14 y/o or a 15 y/o from a 16 y/o? What if it's a 15 y/o but looks younger? What kind of law do you come up with that judges the age of a drawing? You make the artists have to list the age of the characters? But then, what happens if you draw something with an "elin" from the video game TERA? They may look child-like but they are 100 years old. Even if you forget about the morality of putting limits on art expression, there is just no way to draw (ha-ha) the line.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Hate literature, racist demeaning or vilifying by race gender or sex does nothing but spread anti social propaganda that increases negative stereo types and gives some a sense of justification or normality. Having comics available at every convenience store on display depicting child rape and degradation would give many the impression that all children are curious about being assaulted? And it's normal after all it's everywhere? Incest comics have been banned in the Tokyo region was incest distasteful and child rape not? Art stops being Art after being printed by the million and sold at a 7/11, unless you count kit kat wrappers as Art too? Some things are taboo should remain so, the slippery slop does not exist as child rape is wrong and continues to be wrong.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

marcelitoJun. 05, 2014 - 12:11PM JST

...I,m yet to walk into a convenience store in the US or any other "developed " country and find manga / magazines containing kid porn freely available for purchase next to sot drinks and packets of chips.

@marcelito: Oh right, the US and other "developed" countries are so much better for this reason... yet the article states that the US is a BIGGER SOURCE of REAL child porn than Japan?! That shows you how much trying to control peoples' minds saves children from being harmed in child porn.

Don't get me wrong, please let me clearly say that I believe child porn is a disgusting idea and loathe the existence of it. With that said, the issue here is the absolute ban of the production, distribution, AND posession of real child porn to eliminate real children from being harmed in the making of child porn. The issue IS NOT telling people what they can and cannot fantasize about, and that is the impression I get from a lot of posts here.

Now maybe marcelito is saying that this stuff should be hidden from plain view and put in an "Adults" section, which is something I would understand.

One more thing: How are you going to determine if a manga character is a minor? Unless the anime or manga outright states how old the character is, artists can simply state that a character is an adult who looks young, or who is dressed like a minor... in the US, 18 is considered an adult, so a character may be a high school senior and still be sexually depicted??? ...the case to ban anime and manga is just too weak; there are just too many loopholes and too much ambiguity. It's better to just not look at the stuff and/or not let your children look at the stuff if you don't think it's right.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

who said it would impinge on freedom of expression and allow authorities to make arbitrary decisions about art.

I think this is the line that really got me thinking about this topic. Before starting off my argument I would like to state clearly that I in no way condone the existence of real child pornography. I think the major issue here was brought up well by Tahoochi.

The characters being depicted are DRAWINGS and ANIMATIONS and therefore age identifications outside of the manga/Anime outright saying it is impossible. There have been plenty of shows in which the main character is vastly older than they appear or younger for that matter. Who then gets to decide what's child and what's not? My thoughts here then go back to the original quote "... Allow authorities to make arbitrary decisions about art..." And even if after being accused the creator could in fact prove the people provided in the images were not children, Does the likeness of being children then should also be banned? And who gets to determine who looks like what age?

Another thought that comes to mind here is I think the word "child" brings everyone to an immediate stance of defense. Forgive me if I am mistaken am a "Westerner", but I people the age of high school also falls under the idea of being children (again not that I condone the publication of real high schoolers) but many characters are placed in a high school setting to achieve some kind of life point or turning point if you will. In the same way a rapper might use a political statement and a series of Anglo-Saxon curse words to achieve a desired outcome from an audience, some writers/ artists may use a sexual provocative scene as a turning point in two peoples relationship. Now before asking "Why not use something else?" I would like to pre answer this. While I agree it is possible to continue a story with the absence of sexual scenes it should be the decision of the artist as to what route they'd like to use to enhance their characters.

So to sum up, I am not stating that I would like to see sexual scenes involving minors, more I would like to see the artists allowed to use their own discretion while creating material. If you personally find something out of line then I encourage you to stay away from what makes you uncomfortable in terms of manga and Anime.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@taiko666

In russia. Possession of childporn is not illegal.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I have had more than one confrontation (a few somewhat physical) with these lecherous pervs who read these magazines in view of my children. Several times I've been sitting across from some lech and I've been forced to confront and request the book be covered while children are around.

A couple of times, the apparently drunk lech, rebuked my polite request which resulted in him losing his property until we disembarked. Just don't put the sexual imagery on the cover and if you are reading that trash, then keep the pictures where only you can see them.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

If one wants to draw this sick stuff it shows his or hers own sick mind, but why should he or she be allowed to feed someone else's sick mind and be allowed to make profit by it? Raping a child is raping a child where in the world is that acceptable? It is unilaterally illegal. As was stated, you cannot stop what one thinks, but you can make it difficult for him to promote his or her sick ideas for profit.

-1 ( +2 / -4 )

Anyone that has a sector on their hard drive with hash BFC237A189D4 should have the police arrive at their house and kill them on the spot! In case that doesn't alarm you, I am being SARCASTIC. Many of these posters here would like to see this, whether they acknowledge it or not. The second you try to bring such a medieval attitude to crimes without a direct victim (producing the video would be different), you are effectively arguing this. We can have free speech and not have society collapse from pedos, who have been around since the dawn of time btw.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@itsonlyrocknroll:

Why is some 'Manga' so obsessed with the sexualisation of children?

Anyone? I am astounded by the apparent support for sexualized depictions of children in manga and anime that I am seeing on this site. Folks posting statements against child porn are getting thumbs down??? The longer I live the more crazy the world seems to be getting...

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

I can see the Japanese government's point. In manga there are not actors, in anime the voice actors are all adults. As for porn itself, it is probably not good for you in any form but I don't see it disappearing since it's been around for a very long time. There is not study the links porn or child porn to any crime and in this day and age I don't think there were will be a scientific study regarding them.

4 ( +4 / -1 )

Good law, if you start censoring manga, then where does it stop? I am all for creative expression, the creators should tone it down a little, but he,y there is a market it for it.

3 ( +3 / -1 )

badman

I have had more than one confrontation (a few somewhat physical) with these lecherous pervs who read these magazines in view of my children. Several times I've been sitting across from some lech and I've been forced to confront and request the book be covered while children are around.

A couple of times, the apparently drunk lech, rebuked my polite request which resulted in him losing his property until we disembarked. Just don't put the sexual imagery on the cover and if you are reading that trash, then keep the pictures where only you can see them.

How can people give a thumb-down to the above quote, I just don't get it. Really sad to think that people can't empathize with badman's situation. I don't know how you parent's these days can keep your sanity, and I'm just thankful I'm no-longer dealing with such issues, when there is such garbage out there and people who stand up and defend it, yes defend it. If you don't condone it then at least be honest and propose a solution but if you have none then maybe you need to sit this out. Yah, we all worry about government intrusion and freedoms being denied but to just say nothing can be done is dangerous and irresponsible.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

How can people give a thumb-down to the above quote, I just don't get it.

@Mr. Perfect: Well, for starters, badman doesn't even tell us what kind of magazine it was, whether it was a playboy, or manga, or a friday... all we know from his totally bias view, is that there was "sexual imagery" on the cover. For all we know, it could have been a sports illustrated swimsuit issue, or a rolling stones magazine with miley cyrus on the cover, or even a cosmo with "tips on how to have multiple orgasms" or something.... so depending on what exactly the magazine was, I would say that has a bearing on whether his "confrontation" is justified or not.

Either way, I believe I would simply tell my child not to stare at the man or just move to another seat rather than make a big fuss. I try to teach my children what's right and wrong, and ultimately to judge for themselves what's right and wrong despite of, and in light of all the "wrong" that we see out there in the world. But that's just me.

3 ( +3 / -1 )

@Wolfpack

I am astounded by the apparent support for sexualized depictions of children in manga and anime that I am seeing on this site. Folks posting statements against child porn are getting thumbs down???

I can't speak for the multiple other people who came here before me, but I only hit thumbs down on the posts which conflated the concept of child porn with the concept of drawings of child porn. Yes, like yours.

Child porn requires abusing a child to create and is absolutely not OK.

Pictures of "underage" characters in manga and anime is what someone chose to draw and censoring that would be like censoring thinking, since art is supposed to be an expression of thought. Art is also supposed to elicit emotional response in the viewer, so if anyone is truly offended by a given drawing, it is quite obviously art, despite what you say. Some people will say, "it isn't art! It's porn!" Well, yeah. Something can be both. There are a lot of pornographic statues which are quite famous as works of art. Deal with it.

Besides the freedom of expression argument, there is also the issue that making the cutoff due to a character's age is meaningless in manga and anime anyway. The creators just have to say that all characters are over 18 and now it's legal. You can't judge based on the "apparent age" because then you're banning real people who happen to look young as well.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@ka_chan

There is not study the links porn or child porn to any crime and in this day and age I don't think there were will be a scientific study regarding them.

So you actually do not believe that pedophiles create a demand for child pornography which is the very real exploitation of under aged children? Media does influence popular culture and morality. We've seen this with the rapid change in acceptance of homosexuality. However that is at least between consenting adults. You do not need a study to know that it is just wrong to normalize the exploitation of minors. I understand the argument that actual children are not abused in the production of anime and manga. But actual pedophiles consume this material along with many other non criminal types of people.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Has anyone bothered to ask themselves if banning possession of pictures of real children will fuel a demand for real children in body?

Be careful what you wish for. If one of the results of this is more direct attacks on real children, don't say you were not warned. And it will be easy to tell in Japan where the number of attacks is low (please don't say I said zero. I said low not zero).

Also, creation and distribution are already banned. In order to do either you naturally possess. So what do we get? Increased penalties for creation and distribution. I am sure many cheer that. But if mere possession gets you trouble, we can now put a thumb drive of child porn in a person's house and call the cops. Or put some on their computer hard drive. Good-bye enemies! And now you can a no hassle divorce too!

And I guess I better check my own cache now to make sure that the video of the Sugarcubes' song Birthday is not in there.

“The primary reason (for the new rule) is to protect the rights of real children.

I don't see how that works. It was the production that violated their rights if anything did. Protecting every last teeny tiny perceived right of one group can only violate the rights of everyone else.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Nice to hear, but doubt it will be enforced that much.

IMO, portrayal of something in fiction invariably includes portrayal from the victims's point of view, and victims should be allowed to tell their stories w/o censorship. Also, fiction is different as there is no actual kid being abused.

Strong societal memories of strict state censorship in the run up to Japan’s disastrous entry into World War II play into such debates, with dissenters warning of the danger of allowing the government to control the press.

ha ha

That's a bit rich, in a country where all major newspapers' idea of covering a crime is to report what the police blotter says verbatim, w/o investigative journalism!! (I guess self-censorship is one shade better than gov- controlled censorship.)

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Thanks god they didnt ban manga & games! this would have been tomuch, im totally ok with the ban of possesion of child porn, but mangas are not real and they should never be banned! But it will be interesting to see what happens in 10 years from now, virtual reality gets better and better, i wonder how they will deal with that in the future. Like child molesting in Virtual Reality....

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

YuriOtani: "Anyhow it is cartoons, next you will want to put people in prison for stick child porn. "

You do realize you are defending child porn, don't you? And please don't suggest it's okay to defend animated images or comics of it, because anyone who wants to see that kind of thing or is pleasured by it is the same type of person that makes society disgusting, as this case does. Would you still be championing "freedom of speech" if these animators were allowed to make comics about rapes in Okinawa and forced suicides by Imperial troops? In fact, wasn't there a right wing movement recently to ban from school libraries comics about the atomic bombings and the dangers of nuclear power, etc.?

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

I cannot believe by the response of many readers who is very much objected to the banned of child porn materials. It is does not matter what form of materials it is, child porn is child porn and it should all be banned. Sicko!

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

MyJT2014: "It is does not matter what form of materials it is, child porn is child porn and it should all be banned. Sicko!"

Exactly! The worst part is that people like YuriOtani, who has chosen to live in a nation which would never allow such smut, defends it as 'freedom of speech' and suggests that banning kiddy-porn in cartoons or comics is some kind of American imperialism and so Japan should fight against it (despite the fact that she hates the Japanese central government for decisions related to Okinawa). How can a person possibly defend child-porn, as a knee-jerk reaction or not. It's simply disgusting at any level.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

I cannot believe by the response of many readers who is very much objected to the banned of child porn materials. It is does not matter what form of materials it is, child porn is child porn and it should all be banned.

Even though emotionally I want to agree with this, logically I can't.

First, lets take a step back. Why is child porn banned? Because the making of it, and the existence of it, is harmful to the children whom were used to make it. We as a society have agreed that causing this harm to children is not acceptable, and therefore should be banned.

But who was hurt in the making of manga or anime with child porn in it? No one. These are just drawings - imaginations from a persons mind that have been put onto paper. Neither the creation, nor the reading, causes any harm to any child.

So if these are to be banned, it becomes a matter of thought police again. People are persecuted for having thoughts, rather than having performed illegal actions. And this leads to a whole lot of other problems and issues.

So as much as anime and manga depicting child porn are disgusting, just being disgusting shouldn't be enough to also result in prosecution, unless we are prepared to start policing people for their thoughts.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I'm all for banning child porn! But hey, manga is NOT child porn, there's no one getting hurt, neither based off any living characters. Child porn is an EVIDENCE of the molestation of a kid! get this straight. Of course, you shouldn't be bringing it out and showing it to anyone. There're tons of lolicon fans (mostly otakus), 99% of them are not pedos, it's like saying all GTA fans are sickos.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@MyJT2014 & smithinjapan

Thank you so much for speaking up on this article. I was beginning to believe that I was in some alternate universe with all of these people defending sexualized depictions of children. It does not matter to me if it's just at artists depiction. It's still sick. Perhaps there is a free expression case to be made but I sure cannot see it.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Wolfpack: And thanks to you, as well. I mean, I wish these people would literally just stop playing mere politics for a moment and realize they are supporting the rape of children so long as it is only in readily available cartoons and animation! It's astounding!

ptr-d: "But hey, manga is NOT child porn, there's no one getting hurt, neither based off any living characters."

Yeah, right. Most writing is based on experience, my friend... or wait... perhaps some is based on imagination; and you have nothing against those imagining sexual crime against children?

"Child porn is an EVIDENCE of the molestation of a kid!"

And still legal in Japan in terms of possession, and still very, very widely available if you know where to look. But hey, just step over the local 'health salon' or 'soapland' near your residence and select the junior highschool outfit for the girl to wear. Nah, no problems at all with promoting little kids as sex objects!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

smithinjapan: "Yeah, right. Most writing is based on experience" Oh really?!, tell me how this falacy applies to GTA or Manhunt, or any violent game

The second thing, yeah i agree with you there, though how are you promoting kids as sex objects where there're no kids involved? that's like saying hentai promotes women as sex objects.

Finally, you're basically saying an otaku guy who's shut in his room should be jailed for having some (2d) lolicon mangas/games?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So, in this age there are still people that think that finding something disgusting is enough to ban it?

So what about books that deal with genocide, serial rapists, human experimentation, slavery, etc. etc. should those be banned too, or are not disgusting enought?

I am totally OK with people that enjoy things that I personally consider disgusting AS LONG as there are no victims. One thing is to have the right to expend your day without having those thing shoved into your face, another completely different is to abolish the right of other to do what they want with their life if there is no harm to other.

Also, when you consider imaginary victims the same as real persons you begin to complicate the law unnecessarily and the result would be thinning the resources and making loopholes for the real criminals to use. If there are 100 policemen in charge of fighting child porn I would like ALL the 100 dedicated to catch those who are hurting real children, I don't care if you can jail 100 people who draw disgusting manga, if by doing that they fail to catch one child raper that would be a lousy exchange.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites