Japan finally makes it illegal to possess child pornography
But law won't cover anime, manga, or computer graphics
Japan on Wednesday finally fell into line with other developed countries and made the possession of child pornography illegal.
The upper house of parliament overwhelmingly voted in favour of a bill revising laws under which only the production and distribution of child pornography were banned.
The legislation cleared the lower house earlier this month.
Campaigners had long urged Japan to toughen its stance on child pornography.
The new legislation bans possession of photographs and videos depicting real children younger than 18; it does not cover drawings.
The law says anyone who “possesses child pornography for the purpose of satisfying his/her sexual interest” faces being punished with imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine of up to one million yen ($9,800).