The Inappropriate Portrayal of Children in Japanese Manga
GHRTV Reporter
28-11-2021
Naomi Loond
Asia and Human Rights Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
This month, outrage broke out over the way that children are presented in Japanese comics. It was recorded in 2020, that the Japanese Manga business was worth a whopping 613 billion yen (€4,779,047,306).
In June of 2014, Japan had banned any depictions of sexual child abuse imagery, however, this ban did not include Manga, or animated films and video games. These comics have portrayed child characters engaging in sexual acts. Although these types of comics have been banned by numerous countries, they are still available in Japan. The UN had even urged the government to ban these sexual depications of children, but the Japnese government hit back claiming there was a lack of evidence in the UNs statement. This outrage resurfaced this month due to the communist party being in support of free expression, yet supporting more restrictions on the illustration of child abuse in Manga.
Those against the ban have claimed that if Japan bans this type of portrayal in Manga, then it is a direct violation of free speech. Japanese videographer, Taisei Sugiyama, claimed that banning such material would be violating the rights of freedom of expression. He blamed the rise of feminism for this specific debate about child pornography. Critics have argued that not only can this play a role in increasing sexual abuse by those who want to act out fantasies, but also teach children to accept being sexualized and sexually groomed.
Sources and further reading:
Manga industry in Japan. (2020). Retrieved 28 November 2021, from https://www.statista.com/topics/7559/manga-industry-in-japan/#dossierKeyfigures
McCurry, J. (2015). Japan urged to ban manga child abuse images. Retrieved 28 November 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/japan-urged-to-ban-manga-child-abuse-images#:~:text=In%20June%202014%2C%20Japan%20banned,animated%20films%20and%20video%20games.
Montgomery, H. (2021). Why Japan Can’t Bring Itself to Ban Sexual Depictions of Children in Manga. Retrieved 28 November 2021, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5qbnx/japan-child-pornography-manga-anime
Pixabay. (2020). Manga [Image]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/manga-animated-heroic-fantasy-5404746/
