The appeal to Japan's Supreme Court of the obscenity conviction of Motonori Kishi, the president of Shobunkan, has been denied by the Court's First Petty Bench.  Kishi was convicted of obscenity for publishing Misshitsu (Honey Room, see 'Manga Title Ruled Obscene').  His sentence was reduced from a jail term to a fine by a lower court (see 'Manga Case to Japanese Supreme Court'), and that sentence, a 1.5 million yen fine, about $12,200, will now have to be paid. 

This first manga obscenity case in Japan is now over, but adult content continues to be an issue there.  The Kyoto Prefecture recently identified 13 manga titles featuring sex with children that were labeled as 'harmful,' although no arrests were made.  Osaka Prefecture has also been inspecting manga for 'harmful' content recently.