Quote from "Wikipedia"
Possession of child pornography, including those depicting real children, is legal in Japan. Distribution of child pornography was made de jure illegal in 2003 after international pressure from the United Nations, UNICEF and other international organizations, although the law made a distinction between hardcore pornography and the softcore pornography that is widely available in Japan, such as at junior idol and lolicon media centers like Akihabara and Nipponbashi, and at most large electronic store chains, such as Sofmap. Prosecutions have been made under the new law by Japan's powerful prosecutors under Japan's unique legal system, resulting in some financial verdicts, with relative strictness of enforcement continuing to vary by prefecture.
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Today, the law permits the simple possession of child pornographic images if there is no intention of selling or distributing them, with child pornography being defined to be explicit images of children having sex, and not the nude and semi-nude images of children that are common in the Japanese child idol industry.
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Although not always considered explicitly pornographic, media portraying young idols is a large industry in Japan. Although generally lacking nudity, photobooks and videos of underage models in scant, tight fitting and revealing clothing are often taken to be provocative and pornographic in nature. Today, this industry remains lucrative, with The Japan Times reporting an estimated 3 million idol photo books sold between 2006 and 2007. Models are categorized under age groupings, ranging anywhere from 18 years of age (U-18), to as young as 3 years old (U-3). Child models in Japan are not seen in the same light as in the West, with many models gaining large fan bases and being offered acting, singing, or promotional careers.
[...]
Today, the law permits the simple possession of child pornographic images if there is no intention of selling or distributing them, with child pornography being defined to be explicit images of children having sex, and not the nude and semi-nude images of children that are common in the Japanese child idol industry.
[...]
Although not always considered explicitly pornographic, media portraying young idols is a large industry in Japan. Although generally lacking nudity, photobooks and videos of underage models in scant, tight fitting and revealing clothing are often taken to be provocative and pornographic in nature. Today, this industry remains lucrative, with The Japan Times reporting an estimated 3 million idol photo books sold between 2006 and 2007. Models are categorized under age groupings, ranging anywhere from 18 years of age (U-18), to as young as 3 years old (U-3). Child models in Japan are not seen in the same light as in the West, with many models gaining large fan bases and being offered acting, singing, or promotional careers.
Basically possession of child porn and distribution/production of nude and semi-nude shots of children in erotic poses are legal in Japan and I think that's a bit worrisome. That the age of consent in Japan is 13 doesn't help either. I think that's way too young to consider the weight of your actions.
Well, what do you think about this?
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