“A Japanese artist who made a kayak modelled on her v*gina has denied obscenity charges at the start of her trial in a case that has drawn accusations of censorship and double standards. Megumi Igarashi, who calls herself Rokudenashiko – which roughly translates as good-for-nothing girl – was first arrested last July after distributing digital files containing a 3D scan of her genitalia to people in return for donations to her project to create the unusual artwork. She was released days later following a public campaign supporting her right to freedom of expression. She was rearrested in December, however, and charged with obscenity. The 43-year-old artist told the Tokyo district court on Wednesday that her “v*gina selfies” were not obscene. “I do not dispute the facts (of the charge), but my artwork is not obscene”, Igarashi said, according to the Kyodo news agency. Defence lawyers will argue that using the penal code to punish obscenity violates Igarashi’s constitutional right to freedom of expression. “Even if it were not constitutional, the defendant’s work is not a precise reproduction of the v*lva and does not cause sexual arousal”, Kyodo quoted a defence counsel for Igarashi as telling the court.

If found guilty, Igarashi could face up to two years in prison or a maximum fine of 2.5m yen (£14,200) for distributing obscene objects. She is accused of distributing data to people in return for donations to the crowd-funding kayak project. The recipients could use the data to print 3D images of her genitalia. Her case has attracted worldwide attention and criticism of the apparent double standards in the Japanese law’s treatment of sexual imagery. While the country has a thriving p*rnography industry, its obscenity laws ban the depiction of genitalia, which usually appear pixelated in images and videos. Commentators pointed out the hypocrisy of her initial arrest, which came soon after Japanese authorities resisted pressure to ban pornographic images of children in manga comics and animated films”. – The Guardian

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, known as Rokudenashiko, holds her artwork after a news conference following a court appearance in Tokyo April 15, 2015. A Japanese artist on trial for obscenity after making figurines and a kayak modeled on her v*gina said on Wednesday that there was nothing wrong with her artwork and her arrest merely showed how far Japan remains behind the west. Words in the artwork read “Centre. 3D scan”. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, known as Rokudenashiko, holds her v*gina-inspired artworks after a news conference following a court appearance in Tokyo April 15, 2015. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, known as Rokudenashiko, attends a news conference following a court appearance in Tokyo April 15, 2015. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi (R), known as Rokudenashiko, attends a news conference with lawyers following a court appearance in Tokyo April 15, 2015. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi (R), known as Rokudenashiko, holding her v*gina-inspired artwork, reacts to a photographer after a news conference following a court appearence in Tokyo April 15, 2015. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, known as Rokudenashiko, wipes her nose during a news conference following a court appearance in Tokyo April 15, 2015. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, known as Rokudenashiko, holds her v*gina-inspired artwork after a news conference following a court appearance in Tokyo April 15, 2015. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)