CyberLaw Blog

Archive for the ‘Japan’ Category

Japanese Police Pursue Child Porn: “Citing an increase in online sexual exploitation as well as an enhanced level of public awareness of the issue, the Japanese national police have pursued more than 300 child pornography cases so far this year.”

(Via XBIZ.com | News & Articles.)

Only 20% of known child porn sites heed watchdog’s call to shut down | The Japan Times Online: “Saturday, July 5, 2008

Only 20 percent of some 1,600 known child pornography sites were taken off the Internet in 2007 despite pressure from a Tokyo-based watchdog that monitors the harmful sites, the group said Friday.

As the Internet Hotline Center Japan is not authorized to enforce deletions or issue requests for such action to foreign servers, cross-border exchanges of pornographic images continue.”

The center detected 1,609 child porn sites last year, based mainly on tipoffs, and urged the taking down of 526 whose servers are located in Japan. However, only 339 accepted the request. The center is under the control of the Internet Association of Japan, an incorporated foundation entrusted by the National Police Agency with monitoring harmful Internet sites.

The contents of the detected sites included naked images of children and violent acts against them, and they are believed to have been shot in Japan as well as abroad, it said. Among the Group of Eight nations, Japan and Russia have no legislation to prohibit possession of child porn.

Bill takes aim at child porn holders, The Japan Times Online: “Saturday, May 17, 2008

Kyodo News, Bill takes aim at child porn holders

The ruling coalition has compiled a bill to stiffen the law against child prostitution and child pornography by criminalizing the possession of such pornographic material for personal use, sources said Friday.

While the current law does not cover individual possession of child pornography, the revised bill states, ‘Nobody should own or keep child pornography,’ and stipulates a prison term of up to one year or a fine of up to ¥1 million for violators, they said.”

The bill also requires Internet service providers to contribute to preventing the dissemination of child pornography, which occurs across national borders, and to cooperate with authorities in investigations, they said.

The bill does not cover pornographic animation or computer graphics, only focusing on photography.

The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition plans to submit the bill to the ongoing Diet session through June 15, but is not expected to be able to reach an agreement with the Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition party, over the legislation.

While the DPJ is now considering compiling its own revision bill, some of the party’s lawmakers have voiced concerns about punishing those who only own child pornography, with a senior member saying, “It may lead to unfair investigations.”