Tokyo woman previously accused of distributing 3D data of her genitals arrested again

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday re-arrested an artist, previously charged earlier this year with the distribution of obscene material, for a public display of a recreation of her genitals, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Dec. 3).

Officers took Megumi Igarashi, a 42-year-old resident of Setagaya Ward, and Minori Watanabe, a 44-year-old writer and author who works under the name Minori Kitahara, into custody for allegedly displaying a plaster cast of Igarashi’s vagina in an exhibition at an adult shop in Bunkyo Ward managed by Watanabe between October of last year and July.

Of the 19 works in the exhibition, police deemed three items, including that by Igarashi, to be “highly obscene” and in violation of the law, according to Sports Nippon(Dec. 3).

Igarashi has reportedly denied the allegations. “The work is not an obscenity,” the artist is quoted by police. Watanabe has refused to comment on the charges.

On July 12, Igarashi was charged the distribution of obscene material for mailing links for the download of 3D-image data of her genitals to donors of an art project. She was released from custody six days later.

Igarashi, who works under the name Rokudenashi-ko (Good-for-nothing girl), has also been charged with sending discs containing image data of a boat shaped like a female vagina that was on display at an exhibition in Shinjuku Ward to 17 people in May.

Watanabe, the founder of the adult-goods shop Love Piece Club, regularly contributes columns on gender issues to the weekly publication Shukan Asahi.