AFP-JIJI

A group of Japanese Cartoonists have lodged a protest over a Tokyo Metropolitan Government plan to tighten rules on sexual images of minors in comics, animation and comuter game software.

Cartoonists, including prominent artist Machiko Satonaka and Tetsuya Chiba, held a news conference 14th March (Mon) to voice their opposition to the plan before metro assembly votes on the proposal Friday (19th March). "This could violate freedom of expression," they said in a joint statement to assembly members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ).

The metro government has proposed to call on publishers to excercise greater restraint on sales on any cartoon works that feature sexual dipictions of characters that people would assume to be underage. Its ordinance, effective only in the capital, would also designate comics showing sexual violence as "noxious publications." and tighten restrictions for under-aged readers.

Japan is a major global source of child pornography. Although producing and distributing is illgal, possession is not criminalized, and images of "nonexistent" underage characters in "manga" comics are legal.


(fuangping)