My new Yomiuri column--on anime, manga and censorship in US & JP


Is American prudery affecting Japanese law?

"The sentencing of 39-year-old American Christopher Handley on obscenity charges in Iowa last month and an upcoming vote on a “virtual porn” bill in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly’s General Affairs Committee have sent shivers of anxiety through fans of Japanese popular culture worldwide.

Forget the recent U.S.-Japan dustups over the relocation of a U.S. Marine Corps base and the Toyota recall debacle. Suddenly, both postwar allies are converging on the same page in their desire to delimit the expressive sexuality in manga and anime.

In U.S. courts, Handley pleaded guilty in May of last year to possessing manga featuring “drawings of children being sexually abused,” and was sentenced on Feb. 11 to six months in prison–though his lawyer has recently noted that Handley’s submissive plea will likely win him a few months in a halfway house, with no actual prison time.

Yomiuri HERE; expanded w/reader comments at TCJ HERE, and w/graphics @ 3:AM HERE

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