News

U.S. Kinokuniya Bookstores Stop Selling 5 Bishōjo Mags

The seven American branches of Kinokuniya Bookstores have confirmed with ANN that they no longer carry five bishōjo magazines as of this month due to their "inappropriate content." The five magazines are Gakken's Megami Magazine and Megami Magazine Deluxe, Kadokawa Shoten's Nyantype, and ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Hime and Dengeki Moeoh.

A telephone representative at one West Coast Kinokuniya branch said the magazines were removed "to comply with state regulations and to observe the importer regulations in Japan and the U.S. [for magazines] that could be difficult to carry under the law." The representative added that these magazines "could carry some pictures that could be understood as child porn." The representatives at other branches just characterized the magazines as "having inappropriate content" or "sometimes having sexual content." These magazines contain no nudity and are not classified as "harmful publications" in Japan. ("Harmful publications" are a prefectural-level legal category of publications which may not be bought or read by anyone younger than 18 years old.)

Several of the American Kinokuniya stores still carried remaining back issues of Megami Magazine and Nyantype, but will no longer receive future issues due to a "company policy" that changed earlier this month. Two other Japanese bookstore chains with American branches — Asahiya Bookstores and Books Sanseido — have confirmed that they still carry these magazines or will special-order them upon request as of Tuesday.

Thanks to dormcat for the news tip.

[Via Sankaku Complex]