There has been significant public outcry in Japan following the
kidnapping and murder of an elementary school girl in Nara, Japan and
the arrest of a suspected lolicon for the crimes.

CASPAR, a Japanese non-profit-organization founded in 1989, is
campaigning for regulation regarding the depiction of of minors in
pornographic magazines and adult video games. Caspar states that it
has been collecting sample material for several years.

Caspar founder Kondo Mitsue states, "For 5 or 6 years we have been
collecting material, and the so called bishoujo adult anime magazines
and bishoujo adult anime simulation games are terrible. Grown men
manipulate childlike little girls, themes of turning them into slaves
to have one's own sexual desires fulfilled being very common. "

According to Kondo the characters of these games and magazines are
often clearly meant to be elementary aged school-children.

Producers of the lolicon and bishoujo material often argue that the
Japanese constitution guarantees their freedom of expression in this
matter and that laws restricting these materials would be
unconstitutional. Kondo however counters this stating that "The utmost
priority of the constitution is to guarantee fundamental human rights.
I believe the freedom of expression does not allow for the depiction
of little girls being violently raped, depriving them of their basic
human rights."

She states that there is no country in the world that pays as little
attention to Child Pornography as Japan.

CASPAR has collected 7,000 signatures on a petition to have the
Japanese legal code revised in respect to virtual child pornography.
In addition, 16 member of the Diet and several members of congress
have pledged to support such measures.