Destinations known | Porn free: Japan to take adult magazines off convenience-store shelves ahead of Tokyo Olympics
- As the Land of the Rising Sun prepares for 40 million visitors in 2020, it is employing the philosophy of kaizen, or improvement, to show its best side
- Everything from toilets to public transport will get an upgrade
On January 22, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that three major convenience-store operators – Seven-Eleven Japan, Lawson and FamilyMart, which together run more than 50,000 outlets – would stop selling “adult” magazines nationwide by the end of August in an attempt to make a good impression on overseas visitors, whose numbers are expected to swell for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which kicks off in September, and next year’s Olympic and Paralympic games.
Rather than having been relegated to the top shelf, as erotic publications traditionally are in other nations, in Japan the titillation takes pride of place on low, easily accessible racks. “In the past, Seven-Eleven was mostly used by male customers to buy beverages and fast food, and our product assortment was designed accordingly,” the chain told Reuters.
Speaking to AFP, a spokesman for Seven-Eleven Japan said that porn magazines now accounted for less than 1 per cent of the company’s overall sales and that the decision to stop selling them had been reached after reviewing various points of view.
“We knew those sporting events are coming in the future, and those are among the factors that we considered,” he said, adding that more women and children were using 7-Eleven stores these days.