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Pornography in Asia is pornography created in Asia, watched in Asia, or consumed or displayed in other parts of the world as one or more genres of Asian porn.
Internet pornography was outlawed in the People's Republic of China effective 2002, when state censors issued guidelines requiring that all websites remove any pornographic material. [1] The government started a crackdown in 2004, which included the jailing of a woman. [2]
Since 2008, the production of pornographic films has been banned by state censors, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television's prohibition on pornography has been complete, and the government has shown no signs of changing course. Directors, producers, and actors involved in pornographic films have been barred from competing in any film competitions. Any film studio found in violation may have its license revoked. [3] As a result of this regulation and censorship, adult films and media can only be obtained through the Internet and on the black market. Possession of pornography is punishable by up to 3 years in prison, a fine of RMB 20,000, or up to life imprisonment for large underground distributors. [4] In 2010 China shut down 60,000 pornographic websites according to the news agency Reuters, arresting almost 5,000 suspects in the process.
In Hong Kong, pornography is illegal if sold or shown to children under 18 years of age, if it is publicly displayed (except within the confines of and only visible from inside a "bona fide art gallery or museum"), or if it is sold without being wrapped completely with an "easily noticeable" warning stating that the material may be offensive and may not be distributed to minors. [5]
Pornography in Japan includes pornography ranging from well-known sex acts such as bukkake to sexual fetish pornography such as tamakeri.
As in Europe, photographs of nudes are not uncommon in the mainstream media. In the 1970s and 1980s, the strongest prohibition was against showing pubic hair or adult genitalia. Imported magazines would have the pubic hair scratched out, and even the most explicit videos could not portray it. Starting around 1991, photobook publishers began challenging this ban to the point where the portrayal of pubic hair is now fairly well accepted. Close-ups of genitalia remain proscribed. In 1999, the government enacted a law banning photos and videos of naked children. Manga and anime remain largely unregulated, although large publishers tend to self-censor or specify that characters are at least 18 years of age.
The 1960s, in Japanese pornography, was the era of the independent Pink film . In the years since the end of World War II, eroticism had been gradually making its way into Japanese cinema. The first kiss to be seen in Japanese film—discreetly half-hidden by an umbrella—caused a national sensation in 1946. [6] Nevertheless, until the early 1960s, graphic depictions of nudity and sex in Japanese film could only be seen in single-reel "stag films", made illegally by underground film producers such as those depicted in Imamura's film The Pornographers (1966). [7] Nudity and sex would officially enter the Japanese cinema with the independent, low-budget softcore pornographic films which would come to dominate domestically produced films in the 1960s and 1970s. [8] These films were called eroductions during the early 1960s, but are now more commonly referred to as pink films. [9] The first true pink film, and the first Japanese movie with nude scenes, was Satoru Kobayashi's controversial and popular independent production, Flesh Market (Nikutai no Ichiba, 1962), starring Tamaki Katori. [10] Katori would go on to star in over 600 pink films throughout the 1960s, earning the nickname the "Pink Princess". [11] In 1964 Tetsuji Takechi made the first big-budget, mainstream pink film, Daydream . Takechi would remake Daydream as Japan's first theatrical hardcore film in 1981, starring Kyoko Aizome. [12]
In 2007 the Seoul-based online newspaper Daily NK reported that pornographic literature was produced in North Korea for high-ranking officials during the late 1990s. Some pornographic films showing nude or scantily-clad women dancing to music were also made. In the 2000s these were superseded by imported pornographic films, for which a public rental market developed. [13]
Imported works of pornography have been available in North Korea in recent decades, mainly in the capital Pyongyang and typically in the form of CD-R copies bought secretly at markets. There is very little domestic production. [14] Producing, distributing, importing and watching pornography is illegal. [15]
Importing pornography to North Korea is harshly punished. Pornography is sold openly on the China–North Korea border regardless of regulations. [16] Despite attempts to curtail circulation of imported pornography, most of the pornography watched in North Korea is currently made abroad. [13] A significant part of pornographic media in circulation consists of Chinese bootleg recordings of poor quality. [14]
There is no access to foreign pornographic websites from within North Korea. [17]
North Korea has ratified the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. [18] However, there are currently no specific laws to combat child pornography. [19]
Pornographic websites, books, writings, films, magazines, photographs, or other materials of a pornographic nature are illegal in South Korea, although the law is not regularly enforced. Distribution of pornography can result in a fine or a two-year prison sentence. Since 2009, pornographic websites have been blocked by the South Korean government. In 2012 the Ministry of Public Administration and Security released statistics that cited 39.5% of South Korean children having experienced watching online pornography, with 14.2% of those who have viewed online pornography reportedly "wanting to imitate" it. [20]
In Taiwan, pornographic films can be legally traded and pornography is available via a number of routes, including DVD, television and the Internet. The level of piracy of pornographic films in Taiwan is high because authorities have not traditionally recognised their copyrights. Copyright protection is usually strictly applied in Taiwan, but pornography has been seen as an exception. [21]
Possession of pornographic material is illegal in Brunei. [22]
The Indonesian criminal code (Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana, KUHP), in conjunction with the Roman-Dutch law-based Indonesian legal system, strictly prohibits pornographic material. The creation, distribution, sale and rental of explicit materials is banned in the country. On 30 October 2008, the People's Representative Council (DPR) passed the Bill against Pornography and Pornoaction, but it was deemed controversial. [23] The broadness of the law has concerned practitioners of regional traditions such as the nightclubs in Bali, West Javan jaipong dance, and New Guinean penis gourd wearing. [24] [25] In 2010 the anti-pornography law was challenged but Indonesia's Constitutional Court upheld the ban and stated that the law's definition of pornography was clear and did not violate the constitution. [26]
A revised criminal code (RUU KUHP) has been drafted and is currently being discussed by the DPR. [27] There is controversy over the RUU (Law Proposal) because child abuse is already recognized by the KUHP [28] and the RUU is deemed to meddle too much in domestic affairs.
Pornography is illegal in Laos. Decree No. 327 of October 2014 banned pornography and "inappropriate photos" from online publication, as well as "photos that contradict Lao traditions and culture". [29]
Pornography is illegal in Malaysia. Possession of pornographic material is punished by Malaysian criminal law and results in fine and up to 5 years' imprisonment. [30]
The Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984 subjects all offline media (such as newspapers, television, and radio stations) to licensing regimes granted at the discretion of ministers. However, the Communications and Multimedia Act of 1998 pledged the Malaysian government to refrain from Internet censorship in Malaysia. Nevertheless, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, the main regulatory authority of information technology and communications industries, prohibits online content that is "indecent" or "obscene". [31]
In July 2018, the Malaysian police announced the creation of the Malaysian Internet Crime Against Children Investigation Unit (MICAC) that is equipped with real-time mass Internet surveillance software developed in the United States. [32] It is tasked with the monitoring of all Malaysian Internet users even on mobile phones, with a focus on pornography, especially child pornography. The system creates a "data library" of users which includes details such as IP addresses, websites, locations, duration and frequency of use, and files uploaded and downloaded. Visiting these websites is subject to either questioning by police or imprisonment.
Pornographic material is prohibited in Myanmar. Many users of the Internet in Myanmar cannot access content outside the country, and a significant number of pornographic websites are blocked using content-control software. [33]
Any kind of pornography is illegal in the Philippines. This is due to the influence of conservative Christian groups, such as the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and churches, mainly the Roman Catholic Church, among other institutions. [34]
Since 14 January 2017, several pornographic websites including Pornhub and XVideos have been blocked in the Philippines upon the order of President Rodrigo Duterte as part of his Republic Act 9775 or Anti-Child Pornography Law. However, there are a few Internet service providers in the country which still allow access to these websites. [35]
In Singapore the government agency responsible for regulating media content is the Info-communications Media Development Authority (prior to 2016 the Media Development Authority). It is not a crime or offence to visit pornographic websites and view their content except for downloading, which is prohibited. [36] It is deemed illegal to provide and/or supply any form of pornography from within the country. [37] It is also an offence to be in possession of pornographic material. [38] The 39-year-old Yangtze Cinema, which was probably the only theatre on the island to primarily screen softcore films in the city-state, also closed its doors on February 29, 2016. [39]
The 287th section of the Thai Penal Code makes it a criminal offence to produce, distribute or possess obscene materials for the purpose of trade. The maximum penalty is up to 3 years' imprisonment. [40] Many types of pornography are prohibited in Thailand including sex toys, The prosecutions spiked up during the COVID-19 pandemic where people produced pornography and published it online or if it caused controversy among the internet. Some religious minorities may possess pornography for personal use legally because possession for personal use is legal. Other forms of pornography such as yaoi and hentai are illegal but are common over the Internet.[ citation needed ] The popular Thai actor, model and singer Penpak Sirikul has been a pioneer in Thai pornography. [41]
Production, distribution, broadcasting, transport, import and advertisement of pornography, is strictly illegal in Vietnam. According to legislatures, pornography harms Vietnamese standard values. [42]
In Azerbaijan in accordance with article 3 of the Media Act of 7 December 1999, "pornographic materials" are defined as works of art, photographic reproductions of paintings, information and other materials the main content of which is the crude and undignified depiction of the anatomical and physiological aspects of sexual relations. Pornography in Azerbaijan is easily and cheaply obtainable in Baku, although not in most other places. There are reports of bribes being charged for taking hardcore pornography across the country's borders. [43] Meanwhile, the legal activity to combat child pornography is governed by 1998 Rights of the Child Act, 1999 Media Act, the Plan of Measures to Solve the Problem of Homeless and Street Children and the National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. [44]
The legal status of pornography in Kazakhstan was changed in 2013 with the introduction of the law: "On Ratification of the International Convention for Suppression of the Circulation and Traffic of Obscene Publications". This made it illegal to produce, possess or advertise pornography for the purpose of sale, circulation or public display. Additionally, the law made it a criminal offence to import or export pornography or run a pornography business. [45]
Even though the legal status of pornography in Turkmenistan is unknown, a law, passed on 1 January 2015, banning citizens to access pornography on the Internet [46] suggests that pornography is definitely illegal in Turkmenistan.
In 2012, the government in Bangladesh attempted to outlaw pornography as a result of the passing of the Pornography Control Act. [47] [48] [49] Information and telecommunication minister of 11th parliamentary government of Bangladesh, Mostafa Zabbar blocked nearly 20,000 porn websites access in Bangladesh from November 2018 to February 2019. [50]
Pornography in Bhutan is strictly forbidden. It is defined in Section 476 (A) of the Bhutan Penal Code of 2004, which states, "A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of computer pornography if the defendant publishes and distributes an obscene photography or picture on the computer or over the internet." [51]
In July 2015 the Supreme Court of India refused to allow the blocking of pornographic websites and said that watching pornography indoors in the privacy of ones own home was not a crime. The court rejected an interim order blocking pornographic websites in the country. [56] In August 2015 the Government of India issued an order to Indian ISPs to block at least 857 websites that it considered to be pornographic. [57] In 2015 the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had asked internet service providers to take down 857 websites in a bid to control cyber crime, but after receiving criticism from the authorities it partially rescinded the ban. The ban from the government came after a lawyer filed a petition in the Supreme Court arguing that online pornography encourages sex crimes and rapes. [58] In February 2016 the Supreme Court asked the Indian Government to suggest ways of banning all forms of child pornography. [59]
In October 2018 the government directed Internet service providers to block 827 websites that host pornographic content following an order by the Uttarakhand High Court, according to official sources. Although the Uttarakhand High Court had asked for the blocking of 857 websites, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) discovered that 30 of these had no pornographic content and removed them from the list. The court asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ban pornographic websites in India, citing an incident in Dehradun where a 10th standard girl was raped by four of her seniors. The accused later told police that they did so after watching pornographic content on the Internet. Following the order from the Uttarakhand High Court and the regulations of the DoT, Internet Service Providers in India banned pornographic websites across the country. [60]
The production, possession, sale, dissemination, distribution, or importation of pornography or pornographic material (including sex toys) is illegal in Maldives. There were attempts by the government to block pornographic websites. However, it is still accessible in the country as long it is viewed at home.
Nepali law identifies pornography as illegal and unethical. The sharing, distribution and broadcasting of pornographic content through any medium is prohibited. [61] In 2010 it was reported that the Home Ministry had banned access to a list of websites including explicitly adult websites. [62] In September 2018, concerns about violence against women led the Government of Nepal to announce its intention to ban online pornography. [63] From 24 September, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) began to put a block on all websites providing pornographic content on the orders of the Nepal Government Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MOCIT). By 12 October more than 21,000 pornographic websites had been blocked. [61]
Pornography is illegal. It is not easily accessible, and the Government has put an all-time ban on websites containing such material since November 2011. [64] The list of banned pornographic websites is updated on an ongoing basis.
In 2010, The government banned more than 100 local and international porn sites and arrested people with pornography on their mobile phones. They also published the photos of 83 Sri Lankan porn stars, who they wanted to arrest. [65] [66]
Pornography is illegal in Iran. However, due to widespread Internet access (in particular, downloading programs) and the existence of a large-scale black market in Western films, pornography is called "super film." In Iran, a law was passed in mid-2007 by parliament but still required approval of the Guardian Council, producers of pornographic films face execution if found guilty. [67] [ additional citation(s) needed ]
Pornography is legal in Israel. Pornographic films in Israel began to be produced in the 1990s, but most of the films were shot in the early 2000s. Any kind of child pornography is strictly forbidden (under the age of 18).[ citation needed ]
The production and distribution of pornography films are illegal in Lebanon. Regulation of Internet pornography is relatively light.[ citation needed ]
In September 2011, four members of a criminal ring involved in the sale of pornographic films were arrested by Lebanese authorities. The men, of Lebanese and Syrian nationality, had been promoting the sale of unlicensed copies of pornographic DVDs in different areas of the country, particularly Byblos, north of Beirut, where they were apprehended. The men were referred to the relevant authorities, with the case investigated to uncover the remaining members of the ring and anyone else involved in the distribution of the pornographic films. [68]
In 2008, Hamas attempted to implement Internet filters to block access to pornography in the Gaza Strip. [69] [70]
Saudi Arabia prohibits all forms of pornography due to Islam's opposition to it. In 2000 Saudi authorities said that they were "winning the war against pornography on the internet". [71]
Pornography is banned in the country. [72] The government has blocked access to around 160 websites. [73]
Turkey is one of the few areas in Asia where pornography is allowed and produced. [74] The industry can be traced all the way back to the 1970s since its inception.
In Japan, pornography has unique characteristics that readily distinguish it from western pornography. Pornographic films are known as "adult videos" (AV) in Japan, so Japanese adult videos (JAV) refers to the Japanese pornographic film industry. Animated films are referred to as hentai in English, but in Japan the terms "adult anime" and "erotic animation" are used. In addition to pornographic videos and magazines featuring live actors, there are now categories of pornographic manga and anime, and pornographic computer games.
Pornography laws by region vary throughout the world. The production and distribution of pornographic films are both activities that are lawful in many, but by no means in all countries, so long as the pornography features performers aged above a certain age, usually 18 years. Further restrictions are often placed on such material.
Rape pornography is a subgenre of pornography involving the description or depiction of rape. Such pornography either involves simulated rape, wherein sexually consenting adults feign rape, or it involves actual rape. Victims of actual rape may be coerced to feign consent such that the pornography produced deceptively appears as simulated rape or non-rape pornography. The depiction of rape in non-pornographic media is not considered rape pornography. Simulated scenes of rape and other forms of sexual violence have appeared in mainstream cinema, including rape and revenge films, almost since its advent.
Pornography has been dominated by a few pan-European producers and distributors, the most notable of which is the Private Media Group that successfully claimed the position previously held by Color Climax Corporation in the early 1990s. Most European countries also have local pornography producers, from Portugal to Serbia, who face varying levels of competition with international producers. The legal status of pornography varies widely in Europe; its production and distribution are illegal in countries such as Ukraine, Belarus and Bulgaria, while Hungary has liberal pornography laws.
Censorship in South Korea is implemented by various laws that were included in the constitution as well as acts passed by the National Assembly over the decades since 1948. These include the National Security Act, whereby the government may limit the expression of ideas that it perceives "praise or incite the activities of anti-state individuals or groups". Censorship was particularly severe during the country's authoritarian era, with freedom of expression being non-existent, which lasted from 1948 to 1993.
Internet censorship in India is done by both central and state governments. DNS filtering and educating service users in suggested usages is an active strategy and government policy to regulate and block access to Internet content on a large scale. Measures for removing content at the request of content creators through court orders have also become more common in recent years. Initiating a mass surveillance government project like Golden Shield Project is an alternative that has been discussed over the years by government bodies.
Pornography in India is restricted and illegal in all form including print media, electronic media, and digital media (OTT). Hosting, displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, transmitting, storing, updating or sharing pornography is illegal in India.
Internet censorship in the United Kingdom is conducted under a variety of laws, judicial processes, administrative regulations and voluntary arrangements. It is achieved by blocking access to sites as well as the use of laws that criminalise publication or possession of certain types of material. These include English defamation law, the Copyright law of the United Kingdom, regulations against incitement to terrorism and child pornography.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is a global registered charity based in Cambridge, England. It states that its remit is "to minimise the availability of online sexual abuse content, specifically child sexual abuse images and videos hosted anywhere in the world and non-photographic child sexual abuse images hosted in the UK." Content inciting racial hatred was removed from the IWF's remit after a police website was set up for the purpose in April 2011. The IWF used to also take reports of criminally obscene adult content hosted in the UK. This was removed from the IWF's remit in 2017. As part of its function, the IWF says that it will "supply partners with an accurate and current URL list to enable blocking of child sexual abuse content". It has "an excellent and responsive national Hotline reporting service" for receiving reports from the public. In addition to receiving referrals from the public, its agents also proactively search the open web and deep web to identify child sexual abuse images and videos. It can then ask service providers to take down the websites containing the images or to block them if they fall outside UK jurisdiction.
Legal frameworks around fictional pornography depicting minors vary depending on country and nature of the material involved. Laws against production, distribution and consumption of child pornography generally separate images into three categories: real, pseudo, and virtual. Pseudo-photographic child pornography is produced by digitally manipulating non-sexual images of real minors to make pornographic material. Virtual child pornography depicts purely fictional characters. "Fictional pornography depicting minors", as covered in this article, includes these latter two categories, whose legalities vary by jurisdiction, and often differ with each other and with the legality of real child pornography.
In People vs Freeman of 1988, the California Supreme Court stated that adult film production was to be protected as free speech under the First Amendment. They ruled that since such films did not include obscene images and indecency, and stayed within society's standards, the adult film industry should be granted the freedom of speech. Escaping highly regulated government intervention, regulation in the adult film industry has been limited to preventing child pornography. In the United States Code of Regulations, under title Title 18, Section 2257, no performers under the age of 18 are allowed to be employed by adult industry production companies. Failure to abide by this regulation results in civil and criminal prosecutions. To enforce the age entry restriction, all adult industry production companies are required to have a Custodian of Records that documents and holds records of the ages of all performers.
Pornography in Turkey has been produced since the 1970s. In fact, Turkey remains just one of three Middle Eastern countries where porn is not banned outright, including Lebanon and Israel. According to a presentation on the "conscious use of the Internet and secure Internet service," made by the Telecommunications Department (TIB) of the Turkish Parliament, 2 million online users watch pornographic films each minute in Turkey.
Pornography in the Americas consists of pornography made and viewed in North, Central and South American and Caribbean countries and territories. The culture of Latin America and French America has traditionally been strongly influenced by the Roman Catholic Church, which tends to be socially conservative. Pornography is least restricted and essentially legal in those countries where the Catholic church is politically and socially the weakest, such as Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. The viewing of pornography in the region has been popularized by the Internet and DVDs.
Pornography in Pakistan is subject to several legal provisions. The Government of Pakistan has placed ban on internet websites containing such material since November 2011. Major pornography website are already barred in Pakistan. In 2016, it was reported that government of Pakistan ordered Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Pakistan to block more than 400,000 websites which contained pornographic content. Later in 2019, around 800,000 additional website containing pornographic content were banned by the Pakistan Telecom Authority on the order of government of Pakistan.
The precise number of websites blocked in the United Kingdom is unknown. Blocking techniques vary from one Internet service provider (ISP) to another with some sites or specific URLs blocked by some ISPs and not others. Websites and services are blocked using a combination of data feeds from private content-control technology companies, government agencies, NGOs, court orders in conjunction with the service administrators who may or may not have the power to unblock, additionally block, appeal or recategorise blocked content.
xHamster is a pornographic media and social networking site headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. xHamster serves user-submitted pornographic videos, webcam models, pornographic photographs, and erotic literature and incorporates social networking features. xHamster was founded in 2007. With more than 10 million members, it is the fourth-most popular pornography website on the Internet after XVideos, XNXX and Pornhub. As of January 2024, xHamster was the 20th-most trafficked website in the world.
Pornhub is a Canadian-owned internet pornography video-sharing website, one of several owned by adult entertainment conglomerate Aylo. As of March 2024, Pornhub is the 14th-most-visited website in the world and the second-most-visited adult website, after XVideos.
In China, including the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan), the pornography laws and definitions vary depending on the governing authority. In the PRC there are criminal laws which prohibit the production, dissemination, and selling of sexually explicit material, and anyone doing so may be sentenced to life imprisonment. There is an ongoing campaign against "spiritual pollution", the term referencing the Chinese Communist party's Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign of 1983. Although pornography is illegal, it is available via the Internet. Nationwide surveys between the years 2000 and 2015 revealed "more than 70 percent of men aged 18 to 29 said they had watched porn in the past year".
North Korea forbids the possession, production, distribution and importation of pornography. This is punished harshly by the government. Nevertheless, pornography is widespread in the country because people secretly import it, or locally produce it.
This list of Internet censorship and surveillance in Asia provides information on the types and levels of Internet censorship and surveillance that is occurring in countries in Asia
Since the mid-1960s, pink eiga have been the biggest Japanese film genre... By the late 1970s the production of pink eiga together with Roman Porno amounted to more than 70% of annual Japanese film production.
The term pink eiga was first coined in 1963 by journalist Murai Minoru. But it did not come into general use until the late 1960s. In the early years the films were known as 'eroduction films' (erodakushon eiga) or 'three-million-yen-films' (sanbyakuman eiga).