A firestorm of controversy has erupted on X (formerly Twitter) in Japan after it was revealed that manga artist Shoichi Yamamoto (real name: Kazuaki Kurita), creator of *Daten Sakusen*, was ordered in February to pay 11 million yen in damages for the sexual assault and abuse of a 16-year-old female student while he was a teacher at a private high school.
Netizens soon discovered that Yamamoto had been hired by publisher Shogakukan's Manga One app under the new pen name "Ichiromichi" to write a serialized work titled *Jojin Kamen*. It was also alleged that an editor had been involved in settlement negotiations between the artist and the victim. Shogakukan has since issued an official apology, but it has failed to quell the public outrage, with some manga artists on the platform even launching a boycott in protest.
According to Japanese media reports, Shoichi Yamamoto, whose real name is Kazuaki Kurita, was formerly a teacher at a high school in Hokkaido in addition to being a manga artist.
The victim was a female student in his art class. Under the pretext of driving her home, he sexually assaulted her. The abuse escalated to include repeated sexual assaults, forcing her to pose for nude photos, sexual torture with sex toys, and even forcing the victim to ingest his excrement. Many Japanese netizens felt the 11 million yen penalty was far too lenient for such heinous acts.
After the court ruling came to light, other Japanese netizens pointed out that, according to materials presented by the victim, a Shogakukan editor accompanied the manga artist to discuss a settlement with the victim. This suggests the publisher was already aware of the artist's status as a sex offender but continued to work with him and serialize his manga.
Furthermore, the victim had demanded that the manga's serialization be halted. She stipulated that if it were to resume, the publisher must publicly state the reason was the artist's criminal arrest. The settlement talks broke down as this condition was not accepted.
The controversy has now engulfed Shogakukan, which was publishing *Jojin Kamen* by the offender under his new "Ichiromichi" alias. The publisher subsequently issued a statement on its Manga One app, apologizing for the series and announcing that it has suspended online distribution and shipments of the collected volumes. The company admitted that the issue stemmed from its judgment in hiring the original author and failures in its internal review process.
The statement also confirmed that "Ichiromichi," the author of *Jojin Kamen*, is the same person as Shoichi Yamamoto, the creator of *Daten Sakusen*. Yamamoto was arrested, indicted, and fined in 2020, which led to the cancellation of *Daten Sakusen* at the time. However, in 2022, the editorial department allowed him to launch the new series *Jojin Kamen* under the new pen name.
In its statement, Shogakukan stated bluntly: "We should never have re-hired him as an author in the first place. To the victim, we offer our sincerest apologies."
The statement also addressed the settlement negotiations for the civil lawsuit between Yamamoto and the victim:
"The editorial department itself did not intend to intervene systematically, but at the request of both parties, an editor joined a messaging app group. The editor only advised both parties to use lawyers to create a notarized document."
However, the company admitted: "Our awareness of the severity of the incident and our grasp of the information were insufficient, and our overall handling was inappropriate." It stated it would work to prevent similar situations from reoccurring but did not specify concrete measures.
Additionally, Ori Tsuruyoshi, the artist responsible for the illustrations in *Jojin Kamen*, released a statement on X, saying: "I was completely unaware of Shoichi Yamamoto's background beforehand and only learned of this through news and social media. Regarding his activities under a new pen name, I assumed there must have been other circumstances and did not investigate further." Tsuruyoshi also emphasized that while creation can be fictional and free, in the real world, one must never harm others, and offered prayers for the victim's physical and mental recovery while apologizing again to readers.
However, Japanese netizens have largely rejected Shogakukan's statement. Even manga artists with works serialized on the same app have announced their decision to withdraw or suspend their series in protest.
Sumito Oowara, creator of *Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!*, which is also serialized on the Manga One platform, stated a desire for the editorial department and Shogakukan to publicly disclose the full sequence of events and propose concrete improvements. Oowara has decided to cease cooperation until a sufficient explanation and specific actions regarding the incident's timeline and improvement policies are provided.
Until then, there will be no further updates to *Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!*, which is Oowara's only currently running series.
Celebrity, YouTuber, and cosplayer Kaho Shibuya also released a statement in English, calling for a boycott of Shogakukan and the Manga One platform, stating that such vicious behavior cannot be tolerated in the manga community.
Beyond the artist's crimes, what has further incensed the public is that Shogakukan seemingly enabled him to continue creating. The firestorm of controversy is escalating, and it appears Shogakukan is facing a major crisis.