Japan reports huge surge in child *advertiser censored*/legal possession not working!!

A cautionary tale for all of us. As much as it pains me that the children in Japan are being victimized in record numbers, maybe the rest of the world can look at this situation and see just why the possession of child *advertiser censored* can never be legalized. Of course there are more arrests for production. Of course there are more victims. The industry is feeding a very sick addiction. Note that the images are becoming more graphic, more "cruel", as buyers become desensitized and want more and more and more. I noted that the Polaris Project weighed in on this. They are a fine organization to watch if you are interested in child *advertiser censored* laws and the issue of human trafficking. The Japanese need to wake up and demand prohibition from their lawmakers. All one needs do is look at the statistics. I also have to wonder why only 60% of the child *advertiser censored* is being distributed by the internet. How are people buying the remaining 40%?



http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110224/lf_afp/japancrimechildrensex_20110224131944

Japan child *advertiser censored* cases surge to record high

"....Despite its production and distribution being outlawed, Japan is seen as a major global source of child *advertiser censored* in photo and video form, and authorities have stepped up efforts to contain the problem. The National Police Agency on Thursday said law enforcers took action in 1,342 child *advertiser censored* cases last year, up 43.5 percent from the previous year, to reach a new record since such data was first compiled in 2000. A total of 618 children under 18 were recorded as having fallen victim to pornographic exploitation, up 52.6 percent, police said...."

and

"...The data found that the Internet was the medium for spreading child *advertiser censored* in 783 cases, accounting for almost 60 percent of the total. Japan and Russia are the only members of the G8 group of industrialised nations where the possession of child *advertiser censored* remains legal. It is banned and subject to penalties in more than 70 countries. The police agency also said that registered cases of child abuse in Japan, including beatings and neglect, in 2010 increased 5.7 percent from the previous year to 354 cases. The number of known victims rose 4.3 percent to 362, of whom 33 died. Both figures were the highest since such data was first compiled in 1999.

Campaigners this month renewed their calls for the government to clamp down on child *advertiser censored*. "As consumption is not criminalized, demand is always going up," said Junko Miyamoto of non-profit group ECPAT/STOP Japan. "Also, the content of child *advertiser censored* is getting worse, more cruel....."

and

"....The head of the Polaris Project, a US-based anti-human trafficking group, last week told Japanese lawmakers that "significant percentages of the images involve children being gagged, bound, tied with ropes or even blindfolded..."

more at link

why would it be legal to own it in Japan & Russia? that floors me

For some reason the citizens of Russia and Japan have decided that it is legal to possess child *advertiser censored*, just not to distribute it. I have no idea how they think the people are procuring it. And we know that much comes from international distribution. I'm very hopeful that both countries will be strongly encouraged to follow the paths of the other 70 countries and outlaw this vile stuff. They are getting pressure from many chidren's rights groups. As you can see from the article, allowing possession is simply not working.

I'll do some research tomorrow and see if I can find an article on the specific laws for these two countries. It floors me too, LadyL. One wonders just how many child *advertiser censored* "tourists" the countries have due to the laxity of the law.

It wasn't hard. First off, I did not realize that he age of consent is Japan is 13. That truly surprised me. Anyway, here's a wiki article that explains the law:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_pornography_laws_in_Japan




"....Japan, along with Russia, are the only two member countries in the G8 that have not outlawed the simple possession of child *advertiser censored* itself. Today, the law permits the simple possession of child pornographic images if there is no intention of selling or distributing them...."

more at link


Doesn't that beg the question, "Where did you get it?" For such a lucrative industry and one with such close ties to organized crime, it's surely not being handed out as party favors.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia...advertiser censored*-meet-resistance-in-Japan

Moves to rein in child *advertiser censored* meet resistance in Japan


"Faced with mounting foreign and domestic pressure, Japan’s government has been forced to rethink how to handle the country’s huge market in child *advertiser censored*, raising hopes for an overdue ban on possession.

While it is illegal to produce or distribute child *advertiser censored* in Japan, possessing it is not – an anomaly Japan shares with only one other G8 nation, Russia. The release last month of national police agency figures showing a dramatic rise in the number of known child *advertiser censored* cases coincides with new calls for the government to take action. Yet, say campaigners, national legislators lack the political will to change the law...."

and

"....The existing law has effectively encouraged the growth of a lucrative market in sexually explicit images of children, ranging from manga comics to animated movies and, at the most dissolute end of the spectrum, films of children being subjected to rape, torture, and other crimes...."

more at link (Note: 2 pages)


Excellent, in-depth article about the overwhelming popularity of "junior idol" erotic magazines and the sexualization of children in manga and popular culture.

Personal note: Whenever I've visited San Francisco, I've gone to the iconic Kinokuniya book store in Japan Town. It's huge and stocked to the brim with the coolest books and magazines. Even though I know they weed out much of the questionable stuff, it's still unnerving to see literally hundreds of periodicals with pre-teen girls dressed in very suggestive clothing. Interesting but that section of the store is always crammed full with men. I'm over in the knitting section plowing through 100s of the best books of all things fibre. It's a wonderful place but those particular magazines really bug me.

Has anyone lived in or traveled to Japan and seen the stuff which they refer to in the article above?