The National Police Agency said it handled 676 child pornography cases in 2008 in Japan. That is 109 more cases than in 2007 and much more than the mere 25 cases prosecuted in 1999, when Japan's status as a worldwide distribution point for child pornography came to light. Further arrests continued this year, with millions of images and videos confiscated from computers and servers. As positive as these steps are, more action is urgently needed.
While some ambiguities about the age of consent and the definition of sexualized content remain, current Japanese law clearly makes it illegal to sell and distribute child pornography. Yet, one of the main reasons for the persistence of child pornography is profit.
One man arrested in Fukuoka in February raked in an estimated ¥200 million in just two years of operation. The combination of faster, more secretive technology amid worsening economic conditions will only increase profitability.