A government consultative body released a report Thursday concluding that the use of technology to block illegal Web sites would be effective in preventing the spread of child pornography.
Mandating Internet service providers to block access to objectionable sites would be "one effective method" to crack down on child pornography, the consultative body, set up by the National Police Agency, said.
Blocking Web sites has been highly controversial because it could result in violating constitutional rights and the telecommunications law.
Site operators have admitted such blocking is an effective way of preventing child porn but have maintained the measure should be introduced only when children's rights are significantly violated.
The report proposes open discussion on various issues involved in blocking access to sites, including under what circumstances the measure can be justified.
Molestation case
SHIZUOKA (Kyodo) Two men have been arrested on suspicion of sexually molesting a junior high school boy in Tokyo after they gave him a ¥10,000 allowance, police said.
The suspects were identified as Yutaka Aoshima, a 51-year-old teacher at a public school in Shizuoka Prefecture for children with special needs, and Tokyo temp worker Katsuyuki Okuno, 40.
Aoshima was specifically arrested for allegedly molesting the boy, who is in his first year of junior high school, on two occasions in January at an apartment in Toshima Ward rented by Okuno. The police said Okuno started molesting him in October.