Japanese children can be named "Buttocks" or "Prostitute" after a row between parents and officials over a new list of acceptable names.
Japan's system of writing, which has evolved from ancient Chinese script, was simplified after the Second World War when the government abolished thousands of characters.
In recent years, however, the authorities in Tokyo have been under pressure to reinstate obscure and archaic characters so that more interesting and original names can be created, says the Daily Telegraph.
Traditional ones such as Hanako, a girl's name meaning "Flower Child", and Manabu, a boy's name meaning "Studious", have fallen out of favour.
As a result, the justice ministry proposed an additional 578 characters for names, but included dozens that most parents might view as poor taste, such as "Piles" and "Vagina".
A language review panel working for the ministry had initially decided it was not its place to make moral judgments on characters - instead leaving it up to parents to exercise their own common sense.
But this week, the ministry said public pressure had forced it to withdraw nine of the most controversial characters, including "Rape", "Excrement" and "Cancer".
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