Continuing on from the maelstrom that engulfed Tomomi Kasai's much-hyped photo book release, publisher Kodansha has made a formal apology for the controversial image of a young foreign boy clasping the naked bust of a smiling Tomomi. "The cause was our checking system for publishing did not get to it," they explained. Perhaps the big yen signs in front of their eyes, branded there by the AKB management, prevented them from seeing the incredible bizarreness of the image. Kodansha also publishes Young Magazine, which was set to print a big ad for the photo book with the provocative ...

After a brouhaha that erupted in the last days, including Young Magazine's latest issue being shunted to the next week, the controversy over the Tomomi Kasai photo book continues. Now Kodansha, who also publish Young Magazine, has announced that the photo book won't be going on sale as planned on February 4th. Presumably they will pulp the copies and re-print it without the problematic photo. The provocative image featured Tomomi with her luscious bust bare, with the nipples cupped and covered from behind by a seemingly naked foreign infant. Certainly people seemed pretty ...

Kodansha, which had planned to put the latest issue of Young Magazine on sale tomorrow (January 12), has been forced to postpone the publishing date to January 21st. Why? Because it suddenly realised that an ad page announcing a new photo book for Tomomi Kasai, soon to leave AKB48 formally and concentrate on her solo career, was "inappropriate". Yes, Tomomi and her "hand bra" poses are too sexy for Kodansha (admittedly, the "hands" are not Tomomi's but those of a young boy). The issue would have featured Kasai heavily, including on the cover. Instead, the next issue will appear ...