Kadokawa president apologizes and takes pay cut for his comments about censoring manga

The publishing president is “deeply reflecting” on his “inappropriate comments” during his recent appearance on a TV program.

Takeshi Natsuno only took over as president and CEO of publishing, film, and cross media company Kadokawa in late June, but he has already found himself in hot water for his remarks about censorship related to manga.

On July 21, Natsuno took part in a conversation on AbemaTV about whether photos of “gravure idols” (essentially bikini models) were appropriate in manga magazines targeting boys and men. His comments, however, focused on the prevalence of “extreme” sexual content in manga and how he thought publishing standards need to be reevaluated in this digital age. He referenced the fact that many manga wouldn’t pass the standards at Google or Apple.

▼ Otaku around the world let out a collective gasp of horror.

Authors, creators, and net users immediately slammed Natsuno for his remarks. A representative from Japanese video-sharing web platform Niconico, owned by Kadokawa subsidiary Dwango, also assured the public that there were no plans to censor content on their platform.

Kadokawa followed up with a news release on July 27 stating that while Natsuno’s remarks were made in an individual capacity, they were inappropriate in light of his position within the company and do not reflect any future courses of action. Natsuno is now “deeply reflecting” and will take a 20 percent cut in pay for three months from August through October.

▼ Natsuno also apologized over Twitter for making viewers of the TV program uncomfortable by using words such as aho (“idiot”) and kuso (“damn; shit”).

私のAbemaPrimeでの発言で、アホとかクソという言葉を使ったのは、番組の雰囲気に甘えた極めて不適切な発言でした。
不快に思われた方々に心からお詫び申し上げます。申し訳ありませんでした。#アベプラ

— 夏野 剛 Takeshi Natsuno (@tnatsu) July 23, 2021

Regardless of his public apology, many net users remained unconvinced that Natsuno’s remarks don’t represent his true intentions and are calling for him to resign. Perhaps he should have taken a cue from this takoyaki stand owner if he truly wants to win back the trust of the people.

Source: Kadokawa News Release via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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