The head of UNICEF on Tuesday condemned Japan's laws on child pornography, saying the country is falling behind global standards and is guilty of spreading illegal material abroad.

"Japan and Russia are the only two G8 countries that do not ban civil possession of child pornography," Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, the U.N. body that campaigns for children's rights, said at a news conference at the group's Tokyo branch.

"Other countries are worried about this, because as the Internet is global, if you can have access here, it gives access in other countries where it's banned," she said. "So there is a strong desire to protect children not just in Japan but to limit the access to people all over the world."