Japanese vagina artist charged with distributing obscene data

London: A Japanese artist, who makes art based on her vagina, has been charged with obscenity.

Megumi Igarashi, who is known for her vagina-shaped kayak, had allegedly displayed an "obscene" work at a Tokyo sex shop and sent 3D data of her genitals to other people, the BBC reported.

Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that the 42-year-old artist read out in court a prepared statement which said her works were all meant to induce friendly laughter because they involved cutely decorating sexual organs and the works were not obscene.

If convicted, Igarashi could be jailed up to two years and/or fined as much as 2.5 million yen i.e. 20,750 dollars.

On her website, Igarashi, who has made several items based on her genitals using a silicone mould, said she wanted to make vaginas "more casual and pop", much like how penises are regarded as "part of pop culture" in Japan.