Police are said to have raided the Akihabara branch of doujin bookshop Tachibana Shoten, confiscating “suspected loli material”, in circumstances which remain murky.
There is speculation that this is part of an impending crackdown on loli manga, though this is unsubstantiated.
The situation is not, however, straightforward.
At least one report specifies that the manager of the shop was arrested for distributing “suspected loli material,” and that police confiscated the materials in question, though the shop in question (part of a larger chain with branches throughout Tokyo) also stocked much idol material, and it is not specified whether the arrest related to illustrated or photographic material.
Thus, there is a significant possibility the report relates to either “young idol” material, which has recently been subjected to greatly elevated police attention with the tightening of laws against 3D loli materials, along with numerous arrests of distributors and producers, or to material which is otherwise legally dubious, such as uncensored material or similar.
Interestingly, it is said the shop stocked much “paipan” material, referring to the fetishistic treatment of shaven girls.
Regarding the notion that this is part of an effort to ban 2D loli, whilst this is not something which anyone could reasonably put past the police and politicians, there does not appear to be much in the way of firm evidence for this, and there are of course no laws against drawn loli as yet.
There is also the question of why this particular shop was targeted, and not any of the numerous others continuing to trade in the same material, implying this shop was perhaps operating differently.
What is clear is that the Diet will shortly be discussing the status of anti-loli laws, so this action is certainly timely…
Via New Akiba.
UNDERGROUND l♥♥i MARKET “psst, hey. want some l♥♥i goods? totally untracable.”
Meanwhile a real life child molestation-r♥♥e is taking place.
Man, this is why i keep reality seperate from manga, this s♥♥t pisses me off
Why not be sure that illegal activity is going on before making a lawsuit worthy arrest? It’s like arresting a grandmother for being a drug dealer only to find out the police were given the wrong address.
the charge should have read “obvious l♥♥i material”
GTFO, troll.
3D l♥♥i BAD. 2D l♥♥i? no harm no foul IMHO.
Nope, 3D l♥♥i not bad, child ‘pornography’ not bad, and neither is adults and children having sex together.
What is bad? Idiot adults who wish to take away children’s sexual choices out of the misguided and stupid notion that they are ‘better’ than children are and ‘know better’ than children do.