Bullwhips vs. Octopi in Japan

Kerry Howley | November 16, 2007

The land of tentacle porn considers loosening up on Robert Mapplethorpe:

A Japanese publisher who tried to print images of male genitals taken by late US photographer Robert Mapplethorpe said Thursday he was hopeful the top court will lift an eight-year ban on the book.

Pornography is widely available in Japan and legal for personal use. But laws on public morals forbid the import of material that clearly depicts genitalia, causing frequent disputes as censorship is at officers' discretion.

Despite the ban, Asai said the book remained in the National Diet Library, which keeps copies of all books published in Japan.