UN special rapporteur to Japan: “Ban sexually abusive images of children in manga”

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, the UN’s special rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, has been in Japan for a week-long visit.

At the end of it she praised Japan for tightening up the law and banning possession of child pornography in June last year.

But she said Japan must do more and ban all “sexually abusive images” of children in manga.

“When it comes to particular, extreme child pornographic content, manga should be banned,” she said.

Japan’s new laws have some loopholes, such as images and videos where underage models are wearing clothes, even if “skimpy” clothes. Such materials are relatively easy to purchase in Japan as “junior idol” products.

The Guardian reported:

According 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. 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. About 90% of the victims were female, including 60 who were of elementary school age or younger.

The manga translator Dan Kanemitsu has emerged as a spokesperson for manga and anime free speech in the western media.

He says:

“There is no such thing as manga and anime child pornography,” he said. “Child pornography entails the involvement of children, and we must confront it for that reason. [De Boer-Buquicchio] meant sexualised depictions of childish looking characters in manga and anime. Many male and female artists in Japan draw characters in an art style that looks childish to western eyes. Therefore it is a rejection of an art style popular in Japan.”

We personally feel that it is strange to go after manga and anime when there are still legal loopholes that allow the junior idol industry to thrive. But if you start criticizing junior idols, you then have to face up to the fact that these girls don’t suddenly change when they hit 16 or 18. Many of the popular Gravure and music idols today also started their careers as “underage” junior idols.

And it goes without saying that when you start defining one thing as prohibited and another thing as permissible, it’s a slippery slope…