Three of Japan's top convenience store chain operators - Seven-Eleven Japan Co, Lawson Inc and FamilyMart Co - have decided to stop selling adult magazines by August as part of the country's efforts to improve its image in order to host international sport events.

Japan will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup in September and the country's capital Tokyo will hold the 2020 Summer Olympics, which means a huge number of foreign tourists are on their way. 7-Eleven said in a statement that the move was "to create a proper shopping environment" for all of its customers. According to industry experts, adult magazines accounted less than one percent of the total sales of the 20,000 7-Eleven outlets nationwide.

This was not the first time Lawson has wielded its sickle towards porno content. Back in November 2017, the company ordered that outlets in Okinawa Prefecture stop selling adult magazines. The company later decided to impose this on all 14,000 outlets across the country.

Family Mart joined the two on Tuesday as a spokesperson said that about 2,000 of the company's 16,000 outlets already removed adult magazines from their shelves. Like 7-Eleven and Lawson, Family Mart said it decided to do so because it wanted to make the shopping environment more comfortable for foreign tourists, particularly women and children, visiting the country for big events. The company also indicated that these magazines may not return even after the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Even though adult magazines in Japan do not necessarily include nudity on their covers, they cannot be sold to minors. The problem is that, unlike in other countries, these publications are placed in plain sight at convenience stores, so everybody can have easy access to them. Moreover, convenience stores are often where people go for beverages and fast food, increasing the chances that teenagers will be exposed to pornography.

In order to help Tokyo host the 2020 Summer Olympics, besides for this ban, Japan has invested tremendous efforts into various preparations such as robotic butlers, translation robots, driverless car systems and hydrogen fuel.