Major manga publisher Shogakukan published a statement on March 11 addressing reports of a former employee using workplace authority to sexually exploit a business partner. While the company acknowledged that abuse happened on two occasions, it denied allegations of attempting to cover up the issue. This comes amidst ongoing public outrage about Shogakukan’s Manga One editorial department knowingly re-hiring an author found liable for sexually assaulting a former student and allowing him to publish new work under a pseudonym.
In the new statement, Shogakukan addresses a report published by influential Japanese tabloid Shukan Bunshun. The company explains that in 2018, one of its employees sexually exploited a client company’s employee by taking advantage of their “advantageous position” in the business relationship. In 2020, the victim filed criminal charges against the employee, but the case was dismissed with Shogakukan’s side apologizing and “taking internal disciplinary action” against the perpetrator.
However, in 2025, the same employee was once again found to be engaging in misconduct. After this was discovered, the employee “admitted responsibility and resigned.”
Up to this point, the facts line up with Shukan Bunshun’s claims, but regarding the dismissal of the 2018 case, Shukan Bunshun alleged that Shogakukan decided to publish a photo book and offer related funds to the business partner in question. The implication is that the publisher made a bargain to deal with the dispute quietly. However, Shogakukan vehemently denies this, claiming that “the publication of the photo book was proposed by the company that had commissioned the victim’s work.” The publisher insists it did not attempt to cover up the case.
Nonetheless, the news has been met with criticism, with Japanese commenters expressing disbelief at Shogakukan’s failure to fire the employee after their first sexual offense. It doesn’t help that the incident was made public right after the case of manga artist and sex offender Yamamoto Shōichi, which cast severe doubts about Shogakukan’s integrity and even resulted in prominent manga authors walking out on the publisher.
