A mayor in Izumisano City in the Osaka Prefecture, Japan, has demanded that all copies of Keiji Nakazawa’s internationally renowned manga Barefoot Gen be removed from elementary and junior high schools in the district. Izumisano City’s mayor, Hiroyasu Chiyomatsu, felt…
Category: International
Indian Cartoonist Receives Death Threats After Criticizing Guru
After creating and sharing cartoons critical of a controversial “godman” or guru, Indian cartoonist Kanika Mishra has recently found herself on the receiving end of harassment and threats of violence via social media, according to Cartoon Movement. Kanika was inspired…
Iranian Artists Struggle with Self-Censorship
Like many artists in the Middle East, Iranian artists struggle with self-censorship out of fear that government authorities will retaliate and punish them. Their public art is already subject to censorship: All artists must apply for a permit before they…
Ecuadorian Cartoonist Avoids Trial — For Now
A few months ago, we told you about the ongoing battle over freedom of the press in Ecuador. The government of President Rafael Correa was using new media regulations to intimidate political cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, who was told that he…
Ultraman Loses Battle Against Malaysian Government
Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry has banned the Malay language edition of popular Japanese comic Ultraman, The Ultrapower stating that the book contains “elements that can undermine public security and societal morals,” according to the Associated Press. The specific element in…
Japanese Vandal Targets Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl
An insidious sort of censorship is taking place in Japan: Someone has vandalized hundreds of copies of Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl at public libraries throughout Tokyo. The vandalism began early last year, with a copy The Diary…
Sacrebleu! French Politician Attacks Picture Book
A few weeks ago, France found itself in the midst of a rare controversy over a children’s picture book after a prominent politician said on television that it made his blood run cold. The work in question? Tous à poil,…
History Repeats Itself: How Korean Manwha Met the Same Fate as American Comics
For a time in the 1980s and ‘90s, South Korean manwha enjoyed the same success as their Japanese manga neighbors. Sadly, though, while manga continued to grow and make inroads internationally, print manwha were decimated at home amidst a panic…
Flying Spaghetti Monster Banned From UK University Event
Pastafarians, don your colanders! Posters depicting the satirical deity Flying Spaghetti Monster were recently banned from an activities fair at a public university in London because they could be “religiously offensive,” reports The Independent. On their recruitment posters, members of…
The Lost Comics Code of Australia
The Comics Code Authority highlights one of the darkest periods of comic book history. As a direct result of criticism from the Senate, the Code was implemented by the comics industry, leading to years of self-censorship in an attempt to…