Roughly eighteen years after concluding the Rurouni Kenshin manga, Nobuhiro Watsuki shocked fans
by announcing a sequel. Titled Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc, the new manga didn't get very far as soon after, Nobuhiro Watsuki was arrested in connection to Child Pornography. Today, the Mainichi Shimbun Newspaper is reporting that Watsuki won't be subjected to any jail time and that he will be formally charged with "violating the Act on Prohibition of Child Prostitution and Pornography (Simple Possession)." The 47-year-old mangaka will have to pay a fine of 200,000 yen ($1,864 USD).
As we initially reported, Watsuki faced a maximum of 1-year in prison and a fine of 1 million yen ($8,800 USD). Watsuki was arrested after police raided an office he owned that contained DVD's of underage.
Shueisha's Jump Square magazine put the new Rurouni Kenshin manga on hiatus last December and it's anyone's guess if they will decide to move forward with its continuation.
Possession of child pornography didn't become illegal in Japan until July 2015.