MANILA, Philippines – Nobuhiro Watsuki, the Japanese manga artist famous for creating Rurouni Kenshin, was charged for possessing child pornography, the Yomiuri Shinbun reported Tuesday, November 21.

Gaming and Japanese culture website Kotaku said DVDs showing nude girls younger than 15 were found at his office, and similar items were also found in his home.

Background on the case pointed to an earlier mention of suspicions behind Watsuki owning such DVDs. Watsuki reportedly told authorities, “I liked girls from the upper grades of elementary school to around the second year of junior high school.”

Publisher Shueisha told the Japan Times it “takes the matter gravely and the cartoonist has deep regrets. The series will be suspended from next month’s edition, it added.

The charges themselves could see Watsuki facing up to a year in prison and a fine of one million yen ($8,920), according to Comicbook.com. 

Rurouni Kenshin tells the story of an assassin, Kenshin Himura, who dedicated his post-assassin life to protecting the underdogs of society, and held a stance against killing others.

The manga series, which has sold over 70 million copies, has spawned a number of animé and movie adaptations. – Rappler.com