Japanese manga publisher criticised after allowing convicted sex offenders to work under pseudonyms
Japanese manga publisher Shogakukan, known for series such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Komi Can’t Communicate, is facing backlash after two convicted sex offenders were allowed to publish works on its digital platform, Manga ONE, under different pen names.
Source: Brooklyn Manga, for illustration purposes only
According to Mainichi Shimbun, Shogakukan hired the authors despite being aware of their prior convictions.
The publisher has since pulled the series from its platform and stopped shipping related physical copies.
Platform involvement in victim settlements
One of the authors, working under the pseudonym “Hajime Ichiro”, was convicted in 2020 of sexually assaulting and producing sexually abusive material involving a high school student under his care.
Following the conviction, the original series, Daten Sakusen, was suspended.
However, in 2022, the author returned under a new pseudonym to work on a different series, Jojin Kamen.
Source: @animeupdates on X
Reports indicate that in 2021, the editor responsible for Ichiro’s work became involved in settlement talks between the author and the victim, proposing terms that included a gag order preventing the victim from speaking about the abuse.
The parties ultimately failed to reach an agreement.
Source: Wikipedia, for illustration purposes only
Another author, later known as “Itsuki Yatsunami”, had been convicted in 2020 of groping a high school student on the street.
Despite this, Shogakukan’s editorial team hired him in 2024 under a new pen name to publish Seiso no Shinrishi on Manga ONE.
Apologies, investigation, and industry backlash
Manga ONE has since apologised, stating that it should not have hired the authors and that staff involvement in settlement negotiations was inappropriate.
The platform said the use of a new pen name for Yatsunami was done out of consideration for the victim.
Shogakukan has also established a third-party committee to investigate the decisions to hire the two authors.
The controversy has prompted widespread criticism from other manga creators whose works appear on the platform.
ONE, creator of One-Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100, condemned the publisher, while several authors have requested that their works be removed or halted on Manga ONE.
Meanwhile, popular series including Frieren, Ranma 1/2, and Maison Ikkoku have also been removed from the platform as of Monday (2 March), though it is unclear whether this is directly related to the controversy.
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Japanese police officer gets fired for secretly taking nude photos of female corpses
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Featured image adapted from AXP Photography on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
