Over the past weekend, the manga industry was rocked by a scandal involving Shogakukan, one of Japan’s largest publishing houses. The controversy centers around the rehiring of author Shoichi Yamamoto, who had previously been convicted for sexual assault against a minor.
Details of the Scandal
Yamamoto, known for his work on Dakuten Sakusen, was arrested in 2020 for the repeated sexual abuse of a high school girl while he was teaching art part-time at her school. In February 2026, he was convicted and ordered to pay 11 million yen (approximately $71,000) in damages to the victim. Following his arrest, Shogakukan canceled Dakuten Sakusen, citing health reasons for Yamamoto.
Rehiring Under a False Identity
Despite his past, Shogakukan rehired Yamamoto in 2022 under the pseudonym Hajime Ichiro to work on a new manga titled Jojin Kamen, illustrated by Eri Tsuruyoshi. Reports from Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun indicate that editors at Manga One were aware of Yamamoto’s conviction at the time of his rehiring. They even participated in out-of-court settlement discussions with the victim, which sought to keep the abuse confidential, but those talks ultimately failed.
Community Backlash
In light of the revelations, Manga One issued a statement on February 27, which was met with criticism for lacking transparency regarding Yamamoto’s hiring. The following day, Shogakukan released a more detailed apology and announced that distribution of Jojin Kamen would be halted.
Several prominent manga authors, including One (creator of One-Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100), publicly condemned Shogakukan’s actions. Renowned creators such as Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha), Kanehito Yamada (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End), and Ryuhei Tamura (Cosmos) have also opted to remove their works from the Manga One platform.
Company Accountability
This incident is not the first scandal involving sexual abuse in the manga industry; however, the response to Yamamoto’s case has been notably more vocal. Shogakukan acknowledged the situation as a serious lapse in management oversight and a failure to recognize human rights and compliance issues. The publisher has pledged to form an investigative committee to examine the circumstances surrounding Yamamoto’s serialization and the editorial team’s involvement. They promise to report on their findings and implement measures to prevent future occurrences.
This article was produced by NeonPulse.today using human and AI-assisted editorial processes, based on publicly available information. Content may be edited for clarity and style.
