Taiwan is being deluged with pornography from Japan, a representative of the ROC Publishing Foundation (中華民國出版評議基金會) said yesterday.
More than 3 million items were smuggled in to Taiwan every year, with as many as 130,000 pornographic comic books, 72,000 pornographic magazines and 52,000 albums of nude photos smuggled into the island in the past month, foundation executive Hsu Wen-pin (
"More than 250,000 obscene publications are being smuggled into Taiwan every month," Hsu said.
PHOTO: AFP
Hsu, along with KMT Legislator Tseng Tsai Mei-tso (
Hsu said that obscene publications can easily be found when they pass through customs, but they are seldom seized.
The foundation said that it suspected illegal collusion between smut importers and customs officers.
Tseng Tsai also pointed out that this material can easily be looked at by Taiwan's youngsters at their local bookstores.
The situation was worrisome, she said.
Hsu said many local publishers are smuggling these books and magazines into Taiwan because of the large profits to be earned, citing one publishing company which increased its yearly profit by a factor of 22 by selling smuggled pornography.
In response to the foundation's accusation, Yeh Fang-hua (葉芳華), an official at the Directorate General of Customs under the Ministry of Finance, yesterday said that Article 45 of the Customs Law does state that pornographic books, magazines and pictures are contraband goods and are banned from being imported to Taiwan.
However, since Taiwan's Publishing Law was revoked, the Government Information Office, which is supposed to determine what counts as pornographic material, lacks the necessary authority and has withdrawn all its inspectors from the customs service already.
Also the customs service is facing a manpower shortage and it is impossible for the customs officers to check all imported publications, Yeh said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft