The Kinokuniya import books store in Sydney, Australia has pulled multiple titles from their shelves after a written complaint was received by a South Australian legislator.
Anime News Network reports South Australian legislator Connie Bonaros wrote to the Sydney bookstore, despite it not even being in her territory, in order to pressure them to remove multiple titles from their shelves.
Bonaros went on to declare the results of her complaint on Twitter, saying “I congratulate Kinokuniya on taking such strong and decisive action. If this action helps stop one child from being sexually abused, it is one child we have saved. Together, we can all make a difference.”
Connie Bonaros is part of Nick Xenophon’s Centre Alliance. A populist and self-proclaimed centrist party, whose platform consists of a combination of social liberalism and nationalism. Their polices include legalizing euthanasia, and increasing defense industry spending to create manufacturing jobs in Australia.
The Centre Alliance is also the party of senator Stirling Griff, who recommended “the immediate review of all Japanese anime movies” and manga, and ban any deemed to be showing scenes of child exploitation.
Seven series were singled out by Bonaros and Kinokuniya, with multiple volumes between all of the series. These include Dragonar Academy, Eromanga Sensei, Goblin Slayer, Inside Mari, Parallel Paradise, Sword Art Online, and No Game, No Life. Most notably the series No Game No Life has also been removed from Amazon for similar reasons.
Australia was one of the nations who welcomed the “Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child” law drafted by The United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of the Child to ban various media. However, this proposed law was rejected by the United States, Japan, and Austria.
Kinokuniya has multiple locations worldwide including at least fifteen in the United States. Vice President Keijiro Mori had this to say in response to Bonaros questioning whether these standards will apply worldwide: “In terms of our action globally, wherever our stores are situated we respect local law and culture, and make ordering decisions respectively and accordingly.”
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