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FamilyMart Joins 7-Eleven, Lawson in Dropping Adult Magazine Sales
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
A third Japanese convenience store chain announced it will stop stocking shelves with adult magazines. FamilyMart announced on Tuesday that it is joining LAWSON and 7-Eleven and will no longer offer adult magazines beginning in August.
A company spokesperson said that approximately 2,000 locations had already pulled the magazines from shelves in April 2018 but the trend would continue nationwide. Like the other chains, FamilyMart cited the increase of foreign visitors to Japan ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and a desire to make the shops more comfortable for women and children.
The spokesperson also mentioned Osaka's successful bid to host the World Expo in 2025, indicating that the magazines may not return once the Olympics wrap up.
"Adult magazines" are defined as publications that cannot be sold to minors as set by the individual prefectural youth development regulations. An example could include Tokyo's amended Youth Healthy Development Ordinance. That amendment expanded the number of manga and anime that fall under "harmful publications," the legal category of works that must not be sold or rented to people under the age of 18.
Source: Oricon via Livedoor News, Otakomu
