A Japanese publisher has received threats over its plan to publish a translated version of a controversial U.S. book questioning an increase in young women seeking gender transitions, its parent company said Saturday.

Sankei Shimbun Publications Inc. received an email threatening arson against bookstores that carried the book unless its publication was canceled, noting the work could promote discrimination against transgender people.

The conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper's book-publishing imprint, owned by Sankei Shimbun Co., filed a police report alleging forcible obstruction of business.

"To threaten bookstores, where many people gather, is an unforgivable act. We will publish the book and not bow to this malicious pressure," Sankei Shimbun Publications said.

The 2020 book, 'Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,' by journalist Abigail Shrier, argues that online influencers and gender-affirming proponents are encouraging girls without genuine gender dysphoria to undergo life-altering changes to their bodies.

It was initially slated to come out in December by Kadokawa Corp., but was pulled due to criticism.

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