TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested manga artist Nobuhiro Nishiwaki, the author of the popular series “Rurouni Kenshin,” for allegedly possessing child pornography, reports Jiji Press (Nov. 21).
In October, police searched the Nishiwaki’s office, located in Nishi Tokyo City, and found DVDs whose content included videos of nude girls under the age of 18.
Nishiwaki, who has been accused of violating the law prohibiting child prostitution and pornography, admits to the allegations. “I have an interest in nude children, so I purchased [the DVDs],” the 47-year-old suspect told police. He was sent to prosecutors on Tuesday.
According to police, Nishiwaki became a person of interest as a result of another child pornography investigation.
“Rurouni Kenshin,” a fantasy set in the Meiji Period about a former assassin who vows to never kill again, first appeared in the weekly magazine Shukan Shonan Jump between 1994 and 1999. All told, the series has more than 60 million copies in print.
Popular around the world, the series has also been made into animated and live-action versions.
“Deeply reflecting”
A sequel to the series, titled “Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc,” began appearing in monthly magazine Jump Square in September. A representative of publisher Shueisha, which prints Jump Square, said the arrest of Nishiwaki is being taken seriously. “The author is deeply reflecting [on the situation],” the representative said.
The sequel will stop appearing in the monthly starting with the edition set to be released on December 4, the publisher said.
