Jailed 3D vagina boat artist \'outraged\' by her arrest

TOKYO-A Japanese artist who made Lady Gaga and a kayak imitating the vagina said in prison on Wednesday that she was \"angry\" about her arrest and vowed to crack down on obscenity charges in court.
Megumi Igarashi, 42, says she is challenging a culture of \"discrimination\" in Japanese society that opposes vaginal discussions.
Igarashi works under the alias Rokudenashiko, meaning \"good-for-
\"No girls\" in Japan, after raising about $10,000 through crowdfunding, built a yellow kayak with a top shape like a vagina.
Igarashi sent 3D printer data for her scan of the vagina to some donors-a digital basis for her kayak project.
She was arrested on Saturday for distributing indecent items and faces two years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
Igarashi said about 10 police officers arrived at her house on Saturday and initially thought they were only interested in confiscating what she said was work
The artistic exploration of \"Manko\", Japanese slang for the vagina.
\"As I explained to the stern, I can\'t stop myself from laughing a bit --
Looking at the police officers, \"this is Lady Gaga\'s \'manko to\',\" Igarashi told Reuters in a plastic safety disagreement at Tokyo Central Prison.
\"I didn\'t expect to be arrested at all.
When they confiscated my work, I thought to myself, \'This will be a good story \'.
Then they handcuffed me and arrested me.
Now, I\'m just angry.
\"More than 17,000 people signed a petition online asking Igarashi to release it immediately in the midst of the change.
Org, an online platform for grassroots petitions related to the cause of freedom.
Igarashi is wearing black trousers and jerseys provided by the police.
She said she was allowed to take a shower twice a week because she had no money to pay for extra dishes such as curry, so she was eating toast, jam and juice.
She could be detained until the end of July before making the charges.
Kazuyuki Minami, her chief defense lawyer, said BATTLEIgarashi had sparked a debate on women\'s rights and freedom of artistic expression.
Minami said that in Japan, what is the legal definition of obscenity is vague, and the key to the debate will be to decide whether the vagina itself can be considered obscenity.
\"It will be a tough battle,\" Minami said . \".
Although Japan has a large sex industry, it is still regulated by the Criminal Code section dating back to 1907.
Video Pornography in Japan often uses digital mosaics to cover the genitals in sexual scenes to avoid obscenity charges.
1951 a case of the Supreme Court defines obscenity in a broad sense as stimulating desire, contrary to the sexual shame and morality of ordinary people.
The arrest comes as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is working to boost women\'s participation in labor and administrative positions to boost the economy.
Igarashi says she has started making art pieces to address the double standards she believes apply to Japanese women and male genitals.
She wrote on her website that the vagina \"has always been a taboo in Japanese society \".
\"Although it is only part of a woman\'s body, it is overhidden.
\"During a friend\'s prison visit, Igarashi asked for a copy of the comic book she wrote about how she became an\" decorative vagina \"artist to be given to her cell --mate.
She said she had planned to write about her experience in prison.