Why is Japan less harsh on convicted sex offenders than America?

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

Watsuki's case was a little different. He did have a large collection of old child porn, but it was legally purchased back in the day. In Japan it was legal for teens age thirteen and up to star in pornography. Their child porn laws were only recently reformed to match the global standard. Watsuki wasn't trading pics of small children with other pervs, he bought his entire collection at a department store on VHS. He got caught with it when he sought help getting it transferred to DVD rom, since the tapes were so old. He claims he legitimately didn't realize the laws had changed. Possessing that old stuff still isn't illegal in Japan, depending on the area you live in, but transferring its medium is, which is what he got charged with.

Not saying this to excuse his behavior, but it was a very different environment both culturally and legally.

[Rzerox21xx]

Watsuki's case was a little different. He did have a large collection of old child porn, but it was legally purchased back in the day. In Japan it was legal for teens age thirteen and up to star in pornography. Their child porn laws were only recently reformed to match the global standard. Watsuki wasn't trading pics of small children with other pervs, he bought his entire collection at a department store on VHS. He got caught with it when he sought help getting it transferred to DVD rom, since the tapes were so old. He claims he legitimately didn't realize the laws had changed. Possessing that old stuff still isn't illegal in Japan, depending on the area you live in, but transferring its medium is, which is what he got charged with.

Not saying this to excuse his behavior, but it was a very different environment both culturally and legally.

Right now his rep in Japan recovered as his current Kenshin Hokkaido arc manga been doing well and a new Kenshin anime been announced as well as the successful live action movies. The West are not that kind as Viz refuses to simpub the Hokkaido chapters in English when they come out in Japan. athough the final 2 live actions movies were released in Netflix and even dubbed. yeah, Japan has different standards and same problems other countries, I mean how many countries are there that has vending machines that sell used panties.

[Zauriel]

Watsuki's case was a little different. He did have a large collection of old child porn, but it was legally purchased back in the day. In Japan it was legal for teens age thirteen and up to star in pornography. Their child porn laws were only recently reformed to match the global standard.
.

Yes you are correct. Japan did make child porn illegal in 2008. However, Their Child Pornography Act does not regulate cartoons, animations, and games that include artificially created images of the pornographic depiction of children or stories of child sexual abuse.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...d-porn-images/

https://www.loc.gov/item/global-lega...ly-punishable/

Not saying this to excuse his behavior, but it was a very different environment both culturally and legally.

I cannot say I fully understand Japanese culture but I agree that Japan is a very different place from the West.

For example, I read some discussions about attitudes towards Japanese culture in two online community forum that I visited years ago. A forumer once visited a public bathhouse in Japan and was shocked to see naked pre-teenage girls bathing with their fathers, older brothers or other male relatives. On his way out of the bathhouse, He also spotted a couple of boys going with their mothers, older sisters or female relatives into the women's baths. I heard there is a bathhouse rule that prohibits people over the age of 12 years from entering the bathroom of the opposite sex. I don't know if it was also made into a law though. Another forumer who said he lived as a child in Soviet Ukraine or Lithuania, mentioned that families with children went sunbathing in their birthday suits on beaches in Ukraine or Ukraine (Both Ukraine and Lithuania were part of the Soviet Union so they can travel from Lithuania to Ukraine and from Ukraine to Lithuania without a passport).

I heard of nudist beaches in Europe but I had no idea they bring their children to those nudist beaches. One more forum member said that he once visited Germany and saw children swimming naked in a local hotel pool in front of adults.

I remember years ago that I once stumbled upon a Danish blog while looking for nudist beaches in Europe I heard about. The blog has a post about a family sunbathing on a nudist beach in Denmark or France they visited, although I can't remember the details well. I was shocked to see that the blogger, who is a father, posted beach photos of himself, his wife and two daughters all in their birthday suits, posing and smiling like they are not shy at all. The taller girl could look no older than 11 years. the shorter girl had to look 8 or 9 years old. What kind of father posts photos of his naked daughters on a blog?
I saw the blog once. I never visited that blog again.


I guess Europe like Japan is less puritan than America.

[Scott Taylor]

Because a crime is punished far more harshly in Japan than in the U.S. and the justice system is totally whack. No Miranda rights, no probable cause, people get held without charges, presumed guilty until proven innocent, confessions can be coerced, etc. Honestly its hard to even really know if someone convicted of a crime in Japan actually did it or was just some kind of scapegoat or victim of a put up job.

We here in the US have lots of problems and complain about the justice system because of all the loopholes and stuff for the criminals. Its the complete opposite in Japan, all the loopholes favor the government.

Plus I am pretty sure Japanese culture views pedophilia quite differently from how its viewed in the U.S. The sexes also aren't equal, not even on paper.

[Zauriel]

Because a crime is punished far more harshly in Japan than in the U.S. and the justice system is totally whack. No Miranda rights, no probable cause, people get held without charges, presumed guilty until proven innocent, confessions can be coerced, etc. Honestly its hard to even really know if someone convicted of a crime in Japan actually did it or was just some kind of scapegoat or victim of a put up job.

We here in the US have lots of problems and complain about the justice system because of all the loopholes and stuff for the criminals. Its the complete opposite in Japan, all the loopholes favor the government.

Plus I am pretty sure Japanese culture views pedophilia quite differently from how its viewed in the U.S. The sexes also aren't equal, not even on paper.

Yeah their views on pedophilia are different. I read that Japan's age of consent was 13 years of age in most prefectures. But that was years ago. I think they recently raised it to 16 or 18 depending on which prefecture, although the law is rarely enforced.

I wondered why would Japanese men like Toriko creator Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro have an interest in underage girls. Then I remember an internet article I read a long time ago. when high school boys study hard to get into college, they had no time to find a girlfriend or establish a relationship with girls. When they became working adults, they realized that they missed the joys of youth including having a girlfriend in high school and probably wanted to go back to the time but they knew they cannot. So it might be why men like Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro would pay a 16-year old girl for sex. Why that girl would be willing to have sex with a stranger she just met for money? I wondered about it until I also recall an internet article about Japanese schoolgirl prostitution I read years ago.

They say Americans work to live but Japanese live to work. The parents work overtime so they arrive home late at night. What does a teenage girl do being alone at home while her parents are working overtime. All she does was eat dinner alone. With her parents rarely at home and with a craving for a father figure, the girl suddenly decides there's nothing to do at home and goes out in the city at nights. On her way around the streets, she would be approached by strange men who would ask to sleep with her. Some of those men would be pimps and seek to recruit her into prostitution. I think it was the case with the girl that Toriko manga creator got involved with.

[Zauriel]

yeah, Japan has different standards and same problems other countries, I mean how many countries are there that has vending machines that sell used panties.

By the way, I had just discussed vending machines selling used panties with several people on Discord. There someone I met and chatted with on Discord told me that some of the used panties in the vending machines once belonged to elementary school students. I wonder if it was true.

[Rzerox21xx]

By the way, I had just discussed vending machines selling used panties with several people on Discord. There someone I met and chatted with on Discord told me that some of the used panties in the vending machines once belonged to elementary school students. I wonder if it was true.

If that is true, than that horrific. As much I love Japan and anime, and I visited there in Dec 2013, loved it but I know it has its problems like every country. theres a content creator Let's ask Shogo, https://www.youtube.com/c/LetsaskSho...efriendinKyoto

very educational, he goes through Japan various problems as well.

[Rzerox21xx]

disturbing stuff, and explanation why there so much loli stuff in anime, and its a wonder if Nobuhiro Watsuki ended up the way he is if this kind of environment allowed this. I don't know. what you think.

[DanMad1977]

For example, I read some discussions about attitudes towards Japanese culture in two online community forum that I visited years ago. A forumer once visited a public bathhouse in Japan and was shocked to see naked pre-teenage girls bathing with their fathers, older brothers or other male relatives. On his way out of the bathhouse, He also spotted a couple of boys going with their mothers, older sisters or female relatives into the women's baths. I heard there is a bathhouse rule that prohibits people over the age of 12 years from entering the bathroom of the opposite sex. I don't know if it was also made into a law though. Another forumer who said he lived as a child in Soviet Ukraine or Lithuania, mentioned that families with children went sunbathing in their birthday suits on beaches in Ukraine or Ukraine (Both Ukraine and Lithuania were part of the Soviet Union so they can travel from Lithuania to Ukraine and from Ukraine to Lithuania without a passport).

I heard of nudist beaches in Europe but I had no idea they bring their children to those nudist beaches. One more forum member said that he once visited Germany and saw children swimming naked in a local hotel pool in front of adults.

I remember years ago that I once stumbled upon a Danish blog while looking for nudist beaches in Europe I heard about. The blog has a post about a family sunbathing on a nudist beach in Denmark or France they visited, although I can't remember the details well. I was shocked to see that the blogger, who is a father, posted beach photos of himself, his wife and two daughters all in their birthday suits, posing and smiling like they are not shy at all. The taller girl could look no older than 11 years. the shorter girl had to look 8 or 9 years old. What kind of father posts photos of his naked daughters on a blog?
I saw the blog once. I never visited that blog again.


I guess Europe like Japan is less puritan than America.[/QUOTE]

You are right. Naked at the beach is totally acceptable, and having nudist beaches is great as well. You just don't go there if you cannot enjoy being naked in the public. In the DDR it was even a bigger thing, being naked at the sea and all.

Kids are most likely naked at the beach or the sea.

Posting my naked kids on instagram? That's a big no no. Even here. There are always exceptions to the rule. But I cannot understand these people. Posting their kids at all!!!

[shooshoomanjoe]

All the crazyness in Japan gave us some fun 'meanwhile in Japan' memes though.