A disturbing report has gone live from Japan today regarding a well-respected creator in the manga industry. Kenya Suzuki, age 40, has been arrested by authorities in Japan over an upsetting charge. Police suspect the manga creator imported child pornography into Japan, breaking the country’s law against importing illicit material through its borders.
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For those unfamiliar with Suzuki, the artist is known best for creating Please Tell Me! Galko-chan back in 2014. The series followed a gyaru girl in Tokyo who dedicated their life to American ‘valley girl’ fashion. The manga went on to spawn a TV anime a few years later in 2016, and an OVA was also produced by Studio Feel.
According to current reports from Japan, Suzuki is suspected of important six books from Germany which all contained underage pornography. The books were trackable as the post was registered internationally, and police searched Suzuki’s residence back in July where they found the books. Authorities were visiting for an unrelated reason, but after finding the six books, Suzuki was investigated further. Reports suggest 40 more illicit books were found at the residence, and Suzuki considered them part of his personal collection.
“I couldn’t get my hands on nude photo books of foreign children and I wanted them no matter what,” Suzuki shared in an affidavit acquired by reporters overseas. “I couldn’t control myself.”
Clearly, the charges are upsetting, and there is no further word on how Suzuki’s cast will proceed. He is not the first manga creator to be charged with possessing child pornography as Rurouni Kenshin‘s creator very publicly underwent such an investigation. In 2017, Nobuhiro Watanabe was charged after admitting his interest in “girls from upper grades of elementary school to around the second year of junior high school.” As the case went on, Rurouni Kenshin was put on hiatus, but Shueisha has since resumed publication of the manga in Japan.
What do you make of this unfolding situation? Let us know in the comments section down below.
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