TOKYO – Japan’s lower house of parliament on Thursday passed long-debated legislation to ban the possession of child pornography, but with an exemption for comic books in the manga and anime genres.
Under the legislation, individuals would face up to a year in prison or a fine of up to 9,750 dollars, if they possess child porn images to “to satisfy their sexual urges.’’
The bill is expected to clear the nation’s parliament by late June after deliberation by the upper house.
The lower parliament is the more influential in the Japanese system.
Japan is currently the only OECD country which allows individuals to possess photos and videos depicting sexual crimes against children, Hiromasa Nakai, a spokesman for the Japan Committee for the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, has said.
The U.S. State Department has called the country an “international hub for production and trafficking of child pornography.’’ (dpa/NAN)
