The Metro in Tokyo has reversed a decision to ban an advertisement showing a pregnant and nude Britney Spears.
In what has turned out to be a publicity windfall, the Japanese edition of 'Harper's Bazaar' now has permission from the Metro Authority to display the advertisement at the Omotesando station. The station is located in a boutique shopping district, below an avenue sometimes referred to as "Tokyo's Champs-Élys??es".The magazine had initially described the banning as "ridiculous", and had planned to make a statement about censorship on the modified advertisement. The words "in this place we are not allowed to exercise the same level of freedom of expression as the original Harper's Bazaar" were to have been emblazoned on the partly blackened image.
Tokyo Metro spokesman Tatsuya Edakubo said, "Our earlier request to cover the photo from the waist down was because of nudity, not because we had anything against pregnant women."
