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Mandarake used bookstore branches banned from selling adult entertainment items for 180 days

16 Comments
By SoraNews24

Mandarake is best known for its used manga and anime art books, but really the chain has a massive selection of secondhand pop culture merchandise and entertainment media, including CDs, board games, toys, and magazines. They sell just about anything, and that all-encompassing inventory policy has landed Mandarake in trouble with the law.

Mandarake also deals in back issues of binibon, pornographic magazines wrapped in obscuring vinyl covers. In 2021 and 2022 Mandarake was found to have sold six books containing “obscene material,” the sale of which is prohibited by law, and in May the Tokyo Metropolitan Police filed indictments against the president of Mandrake as well as four other employees.

The exact nature of the material isn’t being disclosed in public reports, but at the time of the indictments Mandarake put out a statement of apology, adding that “at the time of their original publication, these [binibon] were not illegal.”

The six books were sold for a total of approximately 74,000 yen at two Tokyo Mandarake branches, one in Shibuya Ward and the other in Nakano Ward. After deliberating on the matter, the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission has handed down bans to both stores that prohibit them from selling “adult entertainment items” for 180 days, starting on November 18 and continuing until May 16. Mandarake’s president and the other indicted employees will not be individually charged with any crimes, though, and the company says it does not plan to appeal the Public Safety Commission’s decision.

Sources: TBS News Dig, Livedoor News, Jin, Oricon News, Nikkan Sports

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© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

16 Comments
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Still a horrific amount of child pornography floating around on the backshelves of these joints. Sure its hard to go through every single item in a giant store, but its worth it if you can locate and destroy these gross artifacts.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

Recently there has been a YouTube Anime AD where the couple are kissing then having sex with legs up in the air and the girl is saying I am coming in Japanese ( Iku Iku ) Just watch you tube and this AD will come at some point. If this is NOT disturbing then I don't know what is when you and your kids are watching YouTube and this AD. appears.

0 ( +9 / -9 )

Just watch you tube and this AD will come at some point.

I watch YouTube for hours every day, and see many ads in Japanese, but haven't seen this one. I am pretty sure they tailor the ads to your target demographic and/or viewing history.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

Still wondering how these kind of issues are decided, things are obscene or not according to completely arbitrary standards that are contradictory between them, stores can sell dirty magazines/dvds/books/etc. because they are not obscene thanks to the magic of mosaic, but if they sell it to minors then the magic disappears and the goods become obscene again and it is a crime.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

So, hang on, did someone go in and buy this overpriced magazine and then report the shop to the police, or were the cops doing a sting operation and purchased them themselves? There something rather missing from this report.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Where are the weebs gonna get their fix?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I watch YouTube for hours every day, and see many ads in Japanese, but haven't seen this one. I am pretty sure they tailor the ads to your target demographic and/or viewing history.

I have seen this ad and reported it to YouTube. The problem with this ad is that it has nothing to do with anime or sex rather when you click on it it goes to a spam site that has cosmetics and shampoo etc Alina a style shopping site. Haven’t seen the ad recently but there is a lot of bypassing the bots.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Japan needs to do more to curb access to pornography.

With every photo, dopamine is released, and with more pornographic images, bursts of dopamine are released. And as time passes, voyeurs need more and more photos to get the same feeling, and thus move to physical carnality.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Japan needs to do more to curb access to pornography.

You do realize that Japan has access to the internet, right?

With every photo, dopamine is released, and with more pornographic images, bursts of dopamine are released. And as time passes, voyeurs need more and more photos to get the same feeling, and thus move to physical carnality.

Who is looking at photos for porn these days? Are you a time traveler from the past or something? Next you'll start telling us how TV is polluting our children's minds...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The only time when it's acceptable to acquire used porn magazines is when:

A) You find them hidden somewhere, and

B) You're under the age of 14

That being said, it's more or less unacceptable in most any circumstance these days, when there is an abundance of free porn available online, nearly all of it without the pages stuck together.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Nevermind this trash and find a human to spend your time with.

I’m sure you will both enjoy not being alone

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Moralists with their "perfect, holy and immaculate lives" demonstrating their "superiority" in 3...2...1...

Where are the weebs gonna get their fix?

Judging an entire community for any behavior is from ignorant and prejudiced people, especially for something that you will have also done at some stage in your life..

but its worth it if you can locate and destroy these gross artifacts.

I imagine you with your superhero costume playing the champion of morality destroying private property and then ending up locked up in prison, typical of moralists.. LOOOOL !!..

Nevermind this trash and find a human to spend your time with.

I’m sure you will both enjoy not being alone

Each person has their own way of living, live and let live is the golden rule, seek your own happiness instead of judging others.

Recently there has been a YouTube Anime AD where the couple are kissing then having sex with legs up in the air and the girl is saying I am coming in Japanese ( Iku Iku ) Just watch you tube and this AD will come at some point. If this is NOT disturbing then I don't know what is when you and your kids are watching YouTube and this AD. appears.

AdBlock and problem solved..

2 ( +3 / -1 )

There is no mention of them being sold to minors, and at that price, most likely were not.

State censorship of books and legal decisions kept secret. That's a slippery slope. And commenters are supporting it.

Life just gets more Orwellian every day.

Best be careful what you say, do, buy, sell, read and think.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

In 2021 and 2022 Mandarake was found to have sold six books containing “obscene material,” the sale of which is prohibited by law,

Prohibited by law but still you can find and buy porn magazines in conbinis and bookstores.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

You can still order from Mandarake Online.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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