Tag - obscenity

 
 

OBSCENITY

Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2017
'Vagina artist' Megumi Igarashi continues her battle with Japan's definition of obscenity
Artist Megumi Igarashi had never imagined battling investigative authorities over freedom of expression until they claimed she had committed crimes with her works of art.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 28, 2016
The vagina on trial: more absurd than obscene
Though the obscenity trial of the artist known as Rokudenashiko — real name Megumi Igarashi — ended earlier this month with a conviction on one of her charges, we haven't heard the last of her. She plans to appeal the verdict, which is good news for the press and the public, since few court trials of recent memory have been as entertaining.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 9, 2016
'Vagina artist' Igarashi loses obscenity case over 3-D data but is acquitted over pop art replicas
So-called vagina artist Megumi Igarashi loses an obscenity case for distributing 3-D data of her genitals but is acquitted for displaying pop art replicas and plans to appeal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2016
The vagina, in all its 'obscene' glory
You've probably heard of Japanese artist known as Rokudenashiko ("good for nothing girl"), who was arrested in 2014 for sending the 3-D data of her genitals to patrons of her successful crowdfunding campaign to create a vagina-shaped kayak.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2016
'Vagina artist' Rokudenashiko to marry British rock musician Mike Scott
Megumi Igarashi, who calls herself Rokudenashiko (good-for-nothing girl), announced Tuesday online that she will wed vocalist and guitarist Mike Scott of The Waterboys, a British folk rock outfit.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 1, 2016
Tokyo prosecutors seek fine in trial against 'vagina artist' Megumi Igarashi
Prosecutors asked the Tokyo District Court on Monday to levy a fine of ¥800,000 against an artist charged with obscenity for distributing 3-D scans of her own genitals.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 10, 2015
Getting back to Japan's old-fashioned erotic values
The good news is that for two years in succession Tokyo has staged shunga (erotic woodblock print) exhibitions — one at Toyo Bunko in 2014 and the ongoing show at Eisei Bunko — and there doesn't appear to have been a marked surge in moral decadence or signs of civilization crumbling.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 15, 2015
Vagina artist pleads not guilty to obscenity charge
Taking the stand on the first day of her trial, Megumi Igarashi said she is fighting the charge to challenge the widely held belief in Japanese society that female genitals are u201cshameful.u201d
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Dec 6, 2014
Obscenity arrest may be hiding dirty politics
What constitutes obscenity in Japan? The term, both legally and morally, has different meanings in Japanese, just as it does in English. In a strictly legal sense, the Japanese word for obscenity, waisetsu, refers to something that maliciously stimulates sexual desire in an inappropriate and immoral manner.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2014
Artist veils photos showing his genitalia to parry police censorship
The censorship action taken by police last month at an Aichi museum showing photos of a photographer's genitals constitutes a human rights violation and highlights the nation's shift toward a more controlling society, the artist said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 9, 2014
Ah, vaginas! In defense of taboos
Two words have been let loose on society by an artist who, for better or worse, may find the rest of her life and career inextricably bound up with them, "vagina" being one and "taboo" the other. The artist herself needs no introduction. She is (or briefly was) the most famous woman in Japan, thanks primarily to an aborted (and almost incredibly stupid) arrest for alleged obscenity.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Aug 2, 2014
The v-word doesn't always mean victory
If you are easily offended, please don't read this column because it's about obscenity laws in Japan and that in itself may be obscene. If my editor will let me, we'll even put up a possibly obscene image! (Don't worry, I won't — Ed.)
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 26, 2014
Art vs. morals debate plays out in the press
In her semiautobiographical feature film "Who's Afraid of Vagina Wolf?," Anna Margarita Albelo plays a struggling film director who makes ends meet by screening her movies in art galleries where she shows up dressed as a vagina. Though the story is mainly about relationships, the prominence of the female sexual organ in the title has given Albelo a certain measure of notoriety, and when the Japanese artist Rokudenashiko was recently arrested for distributing data that could produce a replica of her vagina with a 3-D printer, Albelo's Facebook wall was bombarded with notices about the incident.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 19, 2014
Vagina artist wins release, urges public to challenge taboos
An artist arrested for distributing 3-D data of her vagina online urged the public to outgrow the perception that female genitalia are taboo or shameful, after being released from police custody on Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 16, 2014
More than 17,000 sign petition for genitalia artist under arrest
Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding that police free a Tokyo artist arrested on obscenity charges for distributing data that allowed recipients to make 3-D models of her vagina.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2014
Female artist held over sending 3D data on genitals
A female artist has been arrested on suspicion of distributing data that could be used to reproduce her genitals with a 3-D printer, Tokyo police said Monday.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world