Note the controversy being reported by BBC, Agence France-Presse, Asahi Shimbun, and other newspapers around the world concerning the cover for the Jan 2014 issue of the JSAI Journal, Vol 29, no.1, 2014
http://www.ai-gakkai.or.jp/en/vol29_no1/
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/vol_issue/nels/AN10067140_en.html
JSAI is a journal of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence (Jinkou Chinou Gakkai)
http://www.ai-gakkai.or.jp/ http://www.ai-gakkai.or.jp/en
Asahi Shimbun, 9 January 2014
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201401090058
“Japan Artificial Intelligence society apologizes for boneheaded glimpse of the future:
a wired maid,” Agence France-Presse, 10 January 2014
“Japan: Artificial servant girl sparks sexism row,” BBC, 10 January 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-25680951
The Asahi Shimbun article includes a quotation from Hideyuki Hirakawa, STS, Osaka University