Japan has a rich and longstanding tradition of pornography. This industry serves as an indicator of Japanese views on sexuality and culture as well as reflecting specific fetishes or paraphilias.
Pornographic videos have long been a source of much debate when it comes to child protection and free speech issues, yet only Kyoto and Nara provinces ban child pornographic possession with jail sentences prescribed, while others leave it up to local courts to decide what’s legal.
Censorship
Censorship in Japan has long been an issue for pornographers. Although erotic content does not violate Japanese law, it must still be restricted by authorities who may take legal action against any person or organization who breaches it.
Obscenity laws in Japan are one of the primary mechanisms by which censorship is implemented and enforced, restricting any form of sexually explicit material from being produced, published or displayed.
Producing erotic content is difficult due to ambiguities in the law that require authorities to decide whether a piece violates it or not. This makes the task of producing such material challenging and hard on authors trying to get around them.
Even so, many still wish for more sexualized material to be produced – particularly within anime and manga media.
Sexual acts are among the most popular erotica featured in anime and manga, with shows like Ecchi anime often depicting depictions of genitalia and penetration not normally found in Western pornographs.
However, most depictions remain heavily edited; for instance, sexuality-based depictions often use censor bars or digital mosaics to cover sensitive areas like genitalia and penetration. This can make viewing frustrating for fans; many become frustrated.
Article 175 provides another means of enforcing censorship: all sexual content that could potentially offend is considered offensive and must be removed, including anime, manga, doushinji and hentai games that are exported outside Japan.
Photos or videos depicting anal sex do not fall under this law, because these are accompanied by descriptions of its act.
As these laws exist to protect the public and stop individuals from engaging in acts which might be seen as immoral, it is crucial that fans understand these regulations when watching erotica material.
Though international media outlets have focused on Rokudenashiko’s arrest by Japanese police officers as an attempt to discredit Japan, many Japanese have spoken up in his defense and shown support for him, prompting international media outlets to view this case as one that represents double standards and discrimination against Japanese artists.
Production
Japan offers an incredible variety of forms and genres of pornographic entertainment, from comic books and graphic novels to adult movie productions. Additionally, Japan embodies numerous distinctive fetishes and paraphilias which can be found within their pornographic material.
While most Japanese pornography remains produced under a centralized system that requires approval by an independent committee before distribution, underground films and videos sold without such approval often cause police arrests due to possession.
Last month, three talent agents from one of Japan’s major talent agencies were arrested for allegedly coercing a woman into appearing in porn videos, according to human rights groups. Human Rights groups claim this practice is widespread, as women are coerced into appearing by promises of show business stardom.
Even though Japan has long had stringent controls over pornography, critics note the growing problem with child pornography. Over the past several years, hundreds of men – including teachers and doctors – have been arrested for possessing child-pornographic material which can easily be distributed online.
Though many cases have been resolved with fines rather than jail sentences, their presence in Japan makes them especially troubling. An investigation conducted by Tokyo-based campaign group Human Rights Now found DVDs labeled as child porn remain widely distributed and widely displayed and sold at stores, and released online.
Concerns exist that the government has abandoned providing 18-year-olds legally permitted to make pornography with extra safeguards against contractual obligation and video removal. Before, they had the power to terminate contracts at any time with video removal options being made available to them.
On January 1st, a new law that will go into effect will strip young adults still attending school of any protection and consider them „adults,” leading critics of such legislation to fear increased sexual exploitation of these children.
Similar to Japan, Japan recently amended their criminal code to define child abuse as a criminal act; specifically forcing children into performing acts which compromise their mental or physical wellbeing as illegal acts. But how the new law will be applied remains unknown, along with any potential effect it might have on its pornography industry.
Distribution
Japan boasts the world’s largest child pornography industry with an estimated annual market estimated at over $600 Million USD.
Japanese pornography is typically restricted, with most material not authorized for distribution or sale and anyone found possessing such materials risking up to one year in prison.
Pornographers still find ways to skirt Japan’s strict censorship laws and sell their pornographic products despite government attempts at tightening them; these efforts have met resistance from lawmakers and bar associations.
Still, some concessions were granted to China’s influential publishing and entertainment industries. Under the new law, popular comic books and anime cartoons are exempted from censorship regulations, yet large portions of inappropriate material for young girls remain uncensored.
Tokyo police have long had an interest in pornographic literature they investigate, becoming familiar with some of its more graphic depictions in Japanese magazines, comics, and videos. Their investigators have discovered a number of films featuring children that contain explicit depictions of sexually suggestive intercourse and display graphic sexual imagery.
Human rights groups have taken aim at this industry, alleging that some Japanese adults have been coerced into creating pornographic videos by family or other relatives. These activists have called upon their government to continue protecting 18 and 19-year-olds from forced participation in adult pornographic videos.
Representative Ayaka Shiomura from Kyoto in central Japan has long advocated for stronger safeguards for adults with special needs. Last month she addressed parliament members with her plea. Although her request was met with laughter from many colleagues, Representative Shiomura insists it must be addressed as it is such an important matter.
Soon thereafter, she introduced a bill in parliament that would keep these protective measures for 18- and 19-year-olds in effect. If she were successful convincing fellow lawmakers of its importance, this measure could protect more people from being mistreated by authorities.
Consumption
Consumption refers to the act of purchasing and using goods, services and materials in exchange for money in society. Consumption occurs at various scales ranging from individual to governmental levels and includes buying pornographic products or participating in social media sites selling this content as well. When applied to pornography consumption can refer to activities like buying, using and subscribing to such sites selling pornographic content – both are forms of consumption which contribute to economic activity within societies.
Consumption has always been an integral component of Japanese culture and economy. To maintain a stable economic system, however, consumption must be in balance with available resources – this concept applies to every aspect of life from purchasing food and clothing to paying electricity bills or purchasing luxury items.
Japanese government authorities have made headlines recently with their ban of all child pornographic production and sale within their country, following a 15-year battle. This ban will go into effect this week and is set to take full effect.
However, this policy remains highly contentious and some have begun questioning its efficacy. Some claim the new law encourages sexual exploitation by making it easier for young people to find work as sex workers; others contend it makes it harder for teenagers to resist adult sexual exploitation when pressured by parents to comply.
Other experts contend that consumption can actually help decrease rape by providing young people with a private and sexual outlet. This theory rests on evidence showing they prefer finding sexual fulfillment via media than direct physical partners.
Due to Japan’s high rate of consumption, little research is conducted on how it influences human behavior. This is likely because there are few psychological writings regarding this subject as well as empirical data on this matter – making it difficult for researchers to study this matter and its effect on Japanese people. Furthermore, few studies examine how pornography might impact women and young men – this poses a problem since both populations can easily be affected by external forces so a thorough study must be conducted on this topic.