Child Porn Is Finally (Mostly) Illegal in Japan

On Wednesday, Japan joined the bulk of the developed world by banning the possession of child pornography.

The ban is not total, however.

As the AFP reported, prior to Wednesday's vote by Japan's upper house of parliament, the Asian country had banned the production and distribution of child pornography, but mere possession wasn't a crime.

Now, persons who “possesses child pornography for the purpose of satisfying his/her sexual interest” face up to one year in prison or a one million yen ($9,800) fine.

Cosplay outfits for sale in Tokyo's Kabukicho red light district, a hub of Japan's sizable sex industry. (Shibuya246/flickr)

“In a sense child porn is supplied because there are buyers," Japanese law professor Hiroshi Nakasatomi told the AFP. "Producers will be dealt a severe blow” as crackdowns commence on consumers.

However, the legislation contains a major loophole: while it bans the possession of photographs or video of real children under 18 years of age, digitally-created images and drawings are exempt from the ban.

Nakasatomi said global trends are encompassing drawings in child pornography bans, and that it is “wrong to assume there are no victims” in anime or manga presentations of child pornography, since pedophiles may use these images to fuel and later act out fantasies.

Before Wednesday, Japan was the only member of the G7 that did not have a ban on child pornography possession.

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