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Osaka Lists 8 Boys-Love Mags Designated as 'Harmful' (Updated)

Update: On Wednesday, the Osaka Prefectural Government posted the latest 11 magazine issues that it is designating for its "harmful publications" list — including eight boys-love manga magazine issues. In accordance with its existing ordinance regarding the healthy development of youths, Osaka has been maintaining a list of "harmful publications" which are legally prohibited from being bought or read by anyone younger than 18 years old. The April 30 addendum to the list is as follows:



Young Love Comic aya
May issue
Ohzora Publishing Co.
2010.04.08


Zettai Renai Sweet
May issue
Kasakura Shuppansha
2010.04.10


drap*
May issue
Core Magazine
2010.05.01


Boy's Love*
April issue
Junet
2010.04.01


Boy's Pierce*
May issue
Junet
2010.05.01


Renai Bijin if
May issue
Seven Shinsha
2010.04.14


Reijin*
May issue
Takeshobo
2010.04.09


Chara Selection*
May issue
Tokuma Shoten
2010.05.01


Daria*
June issue
Frontier Works
2010.04.22


Boy's Kyapi!*
'10 Spring issue
(Hanaoto May Spinoff)
Houbunsha
2010.05.28


Junk! Boy*
Spring Break Issue
(Magazine Be-Boy May Spinoff)
Libre Publishing Co., Ltd.
2010.05.03



* Boys-love magazines

The Boy's Love and Chara Selection magazines carry the works of Sae Momoki and Rieko Yoshihara (Ai no Kusabi), respectively. Daria runs Noboru Takatsuki's manga adaptation of the Kichiku Megane boys-love game, while Junk! Boy runs Meiko Akana's manga adaptation of Spray's Steal! boys-love game. By contrast, Young Love Comic aya, Zettai Renai Sweet, and Renai Bijin if feature male-female sexual relationships, and all three magazines have been designated as "harmful" in the past.

According to the ordinance regarding the healthy development of youths, the government will designate a publication for the "harmful publications" list if at least 1/10th of its page count, or at least 10 pages, contain sexual acts or other restricted content. Until now, most boys-love materials were not subject to this ordinance because "not everyone would be stimulated with sexual feelings by them," among other reasons cited.

Osaka Governor Tōru Hashimoto had said last month that his government is considering a measure similar to Tokyo's proposed legislation to regulate sexualized depictions of characters that appear or sound to be younger than 18 years old. The Osaka Prefectural Government announced on March 25 that it would consider regulating boys-love materials in addition to the materials already on the "harmful publications" list.

Another prefecture, Shiga, had already designated two boys-love magazines — the March issue of Junet's Boy's Pierce and the February issue of Libre's Be-Boy Gold — for its own "harmful publications" list on February 23.

[Via Daily Terrafor, Temple Knights]

Update: Temple Knights posted the covers of the magazine issues, and Icarus Publishing posted links to their websites.