The head of Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board has called for a ban on the import and distribution of Japanese anime in Malaysia in a recent session attended by the local consumer board, film producers, and film distributors.

Film Censorship Board chairman Datuk Mohd Hussain Shafie has been quoted as saying, “Japanese animation, or anime, DVDs contain negative elements which can corrupt the minds of Malaysian children.”. Shafie decried the presence of scantily clad women in several mainstream anime offerings, but did not mention any characters or titles in particular.

This is a more recent development in the anti-anime climate hovering over South East Asia, with several national governments decrying the supposedly ill effects brought on by Japanese soft culture imports. Last year, the Philippine government enacted its own law banning “hentai” supposedly as a measure against the sexual abuse of minors.