The Taipei District Court has sentenced a Japanese man in absentia to six months in jail for importing a controversial guidebook on the sex business in the nation's two biggest cities, it was reported yesterday.
Daisuke Sekine, the former chief of Japan's Kinokuniya bookstore in Taipei, was convicted on Thursday of offending public decency, local media said.
But the six-month prison term can be converted into a fine of NT$900 per day for the six-month period.
The court determined that the book, meant for Japanese tourists, was obscene as it contained nude and semi-nude photos of "viciously exposed" or "deliberately caressed" private parts of women, the China Times said.
When questioned by prosecutors last year, Sekine claimed the Japanese-language book, Ecstacy in Taiwan, simply depicted the nightlife in Taipei and Kaohsiung and that he was not aware selling such publications was illegal.
Sekine is believed to have been transferred by his employers to Sydney.
Hisanao Obara, the bookstore's general manager in Taipei who appeared at court for the ruling, said he respected the verdict due to cultural differences between Taiwan and Japan, the paper said.
Obara said he would consult lawyers to decide whether the bookstore would appeal against the ruling.
Copies of the book had been recalled by its Japanese publisher after a strong protest from Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
IDENTITY SHIFT: Asked to choose to identify as either Taiwanese or Chinese, 83.3 percent of respondents chose Taiwanese, while 8.4 percent chose Chinese An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese, 71.5 percent, think that Taiwan should compete in international competitions under the name “Taiwan,” a Taiwan Brain Trust survey published yesterday showed. Referring to Taiwan’s victory last month at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, the survey results showed that 89.1 percent of respondents said that Taiwan’s exceptional performance in sporting competitions furthers national unity. Only 18.8 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese teams’ continued use of the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting competitions, the survey showed. Among Taiwan’s leading political parties, the name “Team Taiwan” was supported by 91.1 percent of self-identified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters,
RSS