Shogakukan Editor Implicated in Alleged Cover-Up of Mangaka Shoichi Yamamoto's Abuse Case
3 months ago
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Shogakukan has suspended distribution of Jojin Kamen on its Manga ONE app. This action follows serious allegations against editor Takuya Narita, accused of attempting to cover up sexual abuse committed by mangaka Shoichi Yamamoto against a minor. The situation came to light after a Sapporo District Court ruling on February 20, 2026, ordered Yamamoto to pay the victim 11 million yen, approximately $70,500, in damages.
Yamamoto, a former high school teacher in Hokkaido, began abusing the victim, then a first-year student, in 2016. The abuse continued for several years, even after her graduation. This led to severe mental health consequences, including PTSD and dissociative identity disorder, which forced her to leave university.
Yamamoto was arrested in 2020 under the Child Pornography Prohibition Act. He received a 300,000 yen fine. His earlier series, Daten Sakusen, was quietly dropped by Shogakukan at that time, citing 'private trouble.'
Crucially, Shogakukan rehired Yamamoto in 2022 under the pseudonym Ichiro Kurita to launch Jojin Kamen. The publisher never disclosed his history to staff or the public.
The victim reportedly rejected a settlement offer of 1.5 million yen, about $9,600, that Narita mediated via a LINE group chat. Posts from the victim indicated Narita suggested a notarized gag order to silence her. This was allegedly to ensure Yamamoto's creative output could proceed unimpeded. Japanese media outlets, including ITmedia, connected Narita to these chat logs based on the victim's evidence and his confirmed editorial role on both series.
Manga ONE later issued a statement acknowledging the editor's actions were inappropriate. However, they denied any organizational directive pushing for the settlement.
Eri Tsuruyoshi, the artist who illustrated Jojin Kamen, stated publicly that she was completely unaware of Yamamoto’s past offenses. Shogakukan has since issued an apology to the victim, their readers, and their collaborators for employing the author. Digital streams and physical copies of the manga have now ceased. The ensuing backlash on X has drawn sharp comparisons to previous instances of industry misconduct and cover-ups.