Many in Japan have complained for years about a lack of zoning for sexually explicit ads on Japanese websites. The ads often show up on content consumed by minors, such as gaming sites. Now, after a swelling public outcry, one group of webcomics publishers has voluntarily zoned its ads to reduce the likelihood of minors seeing explicit content.
Association self-limits, complaints stop
I’ve written previously about how sexually explicit ads appear on sites consumed by kids in Japan. A survey conducted by a citizens’ group of 1,970 people in May 2025 found that over half have seen sexually explicit ads on game strategy sites, personal blogs, social media, and news websites.
Despite calls to restrict such advertising, Japan’s government hasn’t taken action. In April 2025, Miura Junko, head of Japan’s Children and Families Agency, says she wants to “lead the charge” in restricting such ads. She says she expects to have a plan by summer that will address whether any legal measures are required to crack down on the practice.
In the meanwhile, the Japan E-Bookstore Association (JEBA) announced it’s heeding the call. JEBA, founded in 2017, consists of a group of 11 webcomics companies that sell or lend their authors’ works on sites like Meccha Comic and Renta!.
JEBA acknowledges it has received numerous complaints about sexually explicit ads from the Japan Advertising Review Organization (JARO), a public interest corporation formed by major media companies to monitor advertising. Those complaints have risen from 235 filed in 2023 to 604 in 2024.
As a result, after an April 30th 2025 meeting, JAEBA agreed that its members would cease advertising on all-ages websites, effective immediately. As a result, JARO says it received zero complaints in May about any of the group’s retailers.
More work to be done
Some people (read: men) online have complained that stifling such advertising is a violation of “freedom of speech.” As one X user notes, however, they appear to be in the minority:
“If a woman says she finds erotic ads uncomfortable, she gets a bunch of guys in her comments telling her to not look at it if she doesn’t like free speech. But looking at the response to the article, all the men are saying ‘these ads have been a pain for years’ and that this is ‘way overdue.'”
Indeed, the comments on the Yahoo! News JP post on X are full of people saying they hope this spreads. “It’s great they self-restricted, but the government needs to act quickly,” one wrote. “What kind of country puts this stuff in front of kids?” another asked.
Some experts on Yahoo! News JP, such as parenting advisor Kōso Tokiko, criticized JEBA for not responding to JARO’s complaints more quickly. Journalist Fujishiro Hiroyuki went further, arguing that Internet advertising is a “lawless domain” where advertisers frequently violate morals and election laws.
“Advertisers have a huge responsibility. The advertising world should start taking it seriously.”
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Sources
電子コミックの性的広告を配信停止、全年齢向けサイト…大手１１社の「電子書店連合」. Yomiuri Shimbun
「性被害と同等の問題」訴える声 「エロ広告」実態調査で. Mainichi Shimbun
「エロ広告」規制、三原こども相「先頭に立つ」 法整備も視野 自民・山谷氏と議論. ITMedia
