Shogakukan admits serious failures after Manga ONE investigation and announces human rights reforms

Shogakukan has acknowledged serious management and human rights failures in its Manga ONE department following an external investigation. The report concludes that the decision to allow manga artist Shōichi Yamamoto to continue his commercial activities can be considered complicity in a human rights violation.

The independent commission received 44 testimonies and reported incidents. Among them were suspicions of inappropriate sexual conduct, abuse of power by senior officials, and improper behavior by editors toward creators. The report notes that the decision to rehire Yamamoto was driven by the editorial division without the knowledge of administrative departments.

The publisher admitted shortcomings in abuse prevention, in detecting risks arising from power imbalances between editors and authors, and in corporate decision-making. In response, top management will see their salaries cut for three months: the president will reduce his pay by 50%, and other executives will take cuts of between 20% and 30%.

Announced measures

Shogakukan has drafted an internal human rights policy and will create a committee with participation from external experts to implement it. The publisher will introduce regular training on preventing sexual violence, harassment, and victim support, and will develop guidelines for dealing with external collaborators.

The company will also review its policy regarding external creators and add specific clauses to contracts. If a suspected violation arises, a decision-making chain will be activated across the editorial, legal, and administrative departments. The board of directors will receive periodic reports on human rights violations.

The origin of the crisis

Yamamoto was fined 300,000 yen for violating Japan's law against child prostitution and child pornography. In February, the Sapporo District Court ordered him to pay 11 million yen to a woman who reported sexual abuse when she was a student. Despite this, Manga ONE published the series Jōjin Kamen from December 2022, credited to Hajime Ichiro, a pseudonym of Yamamoto himself.

The controversy widened when Shogakukan revealed that it had also hired Tatsuya Matsuki, convicted of indecent assault, under the pseudonym Miki Yatsunami for the series Seisō no Shinri-shi. The publisher temporarily suspended serialization and acknowledged that it should have more carefully considered whether that decision was made with the victims' interests in mind.

Originally published on Anitsu by Eduardo Casanova. Text reviewed and fact-checked for DonOtaku on November 5, 2026; the original date is preserved.