Shogakukan’s Manga One has cancelled the manga Joujin Kamen after it was revealed that its original author, writing under a pen name, is the same individual previously arrested and fined in a sexual assault case involving a high school student.
The controversy escalated following a February 20, 2026, ruling by the Sapporo District Court ordering the former teacher, Shoichi Yamamoto (Real Name: Kazuaki Kurita), to pay 11 million yen in damages to the victim, who developed PTSD as a result of the abuse.
The case has now expanded beyond the author himself, with serious questions raised about Manga ONE’s editorial department and its handling of the situation.
Court Ruling: Abuse Began When Victim Was 15
According to court reporting from Mainichi and other Japanese outlets, the abuse began in 2016 when Kurita was a drawing instructor at a private high school in Hokkaido. The victim was a 15-year-old first-year student.
The court found that Kurita used his position as an older teacher to take advantage of the student’s immaturity. The relationship escalated over multiple years and resulted in the victim developing PTSD.
Kurita argued the relationship was consensual and part of a serious romantic relationship. The court rejected this argument, ruling that the power imbalance and the victim’s status as a minor invalidated that claim.
On February 20, 2026, the Sapporo District Court ordered Kurita to pay 11 million yen in damages. Claims against the school operator were dismissed, with the court ruling that employer liability did not apply.
Kurita’s legal team has indicated plans to appeal.
From Arrest to Rehiring Under a Pen Name
This was not the first legal issue involving Kurita. In February 2020, he was fined 300,000 yen for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Around the same time, his manga Daten Sakusen, which he had serialized under the name Shoichi Yamamoto, went on hiatus. The series was later discontinued by Shogakukan.
However, in 2022, Manga One began serializing a new series, Joujin Kamen, credited to the pen name Ichiro Hajime, alongside illustrator Tsuruyoshi Eri. On February 27, 2026, Manga One confirmed in an official statement that Ichiro Hajime and Shoichi Yamamoto are the same person i.e. Kurita Kazuaki.
The publisher stated that there were problems with the decision to appoint him as the original author and failures in its internal confirmation system. Distribution of Joujin Kamen has been stopped, and shipments of the collected volumes have been halted.
The editorial department acknowledged that he should not have been hired again and issued an apology, particularly to the victim. It also admitted that its handling of aspects related to the civil lawsuit, including an editor joining a messaging app group between the parties, reflected insufficient recognition of the seriousness of the matter and was inappropriate.
The manga is now effectively cancelled.
Editor Allegedly Proposed Notarized Settlement to Silence Victim
Beyond the author’s criminal and civil cases, scrutiny has also fallen on Manga ONE’s editorial department.
Japanese outlets including Kyodo News reported that a Manga ONE editor joined a LINE group chat between Kurita and the victim during ongoing disputes. In that chat, the editor reportedly suggested creating a notarized settlement document.
According to reporting, the proposed document included terms under which the victim would receive 1.5 million yen in compensation if she refrained from publicly discussing the sexual abuse.
Manga ONE’s official statement confirmed that an editor did join a messaging group at the request of both parties. However, the company described the involvement more vaguely, stating that the editor advised appointing legal counsel and formalizing agreements through notarization.
The statement acknowledged that the editorial department did not fully recognize the seriousness of the case at the time and admitted the response was inappropriate.
The editor has not been officially named in major court reporting. However, online discussion has pointed to Takuya Narita, who served as editor on both Daten Sakusen and Joujin Kamen. It should be noted that manga series can have multiple editors, and no official confirmation has publicly identified him as the individual involved.
Prior Fine for Possession of CSAM and Series Suspension History
In February 2020, Kurita was fined 300,000 yen for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). That same month, Daten Sakusen, which he had serialized since 2016 under the name Shoichi Yamamoto, went on hiatus. At the time, the official account cited “poor physical condition.”
The series was formally discontinued in September 2022 due to “ongoing personal troubles.” It was later revived independently as a self-published e-book.
Despite the 2020 case, Kurita began working again with Manga ONE in 2022 under the pen name Ichiro Hajime on Joujin Kamen. Manga ONE has now admitted that rehiring him was a mistake.
ONE, The Author Of One Punch Man, And Other Manga Authors Criticizes Manga One Editorial
The controversy quickly spread across the industry.
ONE, creator of One Punch Man, publicly criticized the situation on X.
He stated that “MANGA ONE. I can’t team up with people who can’t clearly state their strong condemnation of sexual harm against minors. That’s a given. Waiting for the disclosure of circumstances by the relevant parties. I also want Shogakukan to support them if they take that action.“
He also clarified:
“・Related parties = editors = them
・I myself thought it was only natural to be seen as a situation where forming a team (by the person in charge and the writer) was impossible
・I hope the company adopts a stance of supporting their = the editors’ statements
(I don’t want it to be an internal company situation where an apology or explanatory statement from the party involved themselves cannot be issued)
・This is by no means a call for solidarity with the writer.
If the above text caused any misunderstanding, I apologize for my lack of words.“
The author of Zatchbell, Makoto Raiku also tweeted about this matter:
“The Manga One incident. It’s truly regrettable. Really… it makes me feel so down, doesn’t it.”
Ryuhei Tamura, author of COSMOS, even said to halt his manga from Manga One:
” In light of this incident, I just conveyed to my editor in charge that I would like to halt the serialization of COSMOS on Manga One.
I myself am also experiencing a strong shock. Above all, I strongly hope for a sincere response toward those who have been victimized. (Tamura) “
Similarly, Haro Aso, the author of Zom100: Bucket List Of The Dead, has requested to cancel their manga’s serialization on Manga One:
“Yesterday, we requested to suspend the distribution of “Zom 100” by Haro Aso / Kotaro Takata on Manga One, as of that point. The serialization continues in Sunday GX magazine itself, as well as on other platforms, so we appreciate your understanding. I’m not used to writing this kind of message→“
“I am very confused and cannot put it into words well. However, the first priority should be the well-being of those who have been affected. I sincerely wish for your gentle and peaceful recovery.“
Sankaku Head, the author of Himouto! Umaru-chan, has also suspended the manga, My Darling Devilish Daughter, from Manga One:
“It seems that the distribution of “My Devilish Daughters” on Manga One has been suspended. I had been quietly observing until the facts became clear, but after seeing Manga One’s post from last night, I learned the truth and decided to suspend all episodes.
This is an absolutely unforgivable incident, and I, along with the readers, felt that we can no longer enjoy reading manga on Manga One. I’ve inquired with the Spirits editor multiple times, but since it’s a different department, they can’t tell me anything (my editor is apparently appealing to the company to handle this with sincerity right now).
Depending on future developments and Shogakukan’s response, I’m thinking about moving my activity base away from Shogakukan itself.“
And there are so many manga authors who tweeted on X, and many are requesting to cancel their serialization on Manga One.
Illustrator Says She Was Unaware
Illustrator Tsuruyoshi Eri stated that she was completely unaware of the author’s past and the previous case at the time of working on Joujin Kamen.
The situation has triggered widespread backlash online, with many readers questioning how the author was rehired under a pen name despite his prior arrest and fine.
With distribution halted and volumes pulled, Joujin Kamen has now been cancelled.
Source: Mainichi, Livedoor, Shogakukan
