Japan Youth Ordinance Bill

[_leareth]

So, the Youth Ordinance Bill that just passed in Japan - what do you think?

Me, I want to read the text of the bill as passed first before I draw any conclusions, so if anyone out there has a link to it please send over. Preferably properly translated English version, but I'll take the original Japanese (and badger tammaiya with her l337 Japanese plus

Comments

[beliael]

I'm usually against any kind of legal censorship of media, this included.

I haven't read the bill myself (can't read Japanese :() but from the sounds of it, the bill requires the manga industry to "tone down" their content? What is the use of that? Pornographic and/or violent content will still be available to be purchased by adults, except now their content cannot be extreme? It seems to me that the gist of the bill isn't really to protect children (since they're not banning all R18 content) but to impose unjustified conservatives morals on adults.

Unless I see widespread scientific consensus that pornographic/violent media is directly causative of social harm I don't see why they should be censored. If it's on paper/video, it's a fantasy, it's not real.

It's interesting that industry's response to the bill (ten of the top manga publishers boycotting the Tokyo International Anime Fair) has caused the Japanese Prime Minister to note the effects of the bill (implicitly) on the manga industry.

[beliael]

-Edit-
Okay I read up a little more about it, I think I was initially mistaken. I thought that "extreme content" stuff was banned outright. It seems that that stuff is okay BUT is restricted to adults only. I'm actually much more okay with that. However what some people are saying is that if themes such as incest is considered "adults only", it could significantly restrict media that has those themes to a wider audience. Hmm it's a valid concern.

[illusion_85]

The bill you linked is dated 2010.11.30, so it's probably the one in question?

[subaudition]

My understanding is that this is a Tokyo city/prefecture ordinance, and not Japanese national law. I wonder if it will be subject to judicial scrutiny

[tammaiya]

you know my preliminary thoughts on this as a concept

as for translation.... maybe on the weekend. mrrrrh. *collapse*