japanese censorship laws change 2021

The amendments expanded the scope of personal data and eliminated restrictions on the laws extraterritorial applications. A number of initiatives sprang up in response to the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Japanese and American Legal Systems. Japans antistalking law, originally enacted in 2000, was revised in 2013 to address email harassment, and further revised in 2016 to penalize repeated blog posts or messages on social networking services.15. Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? Some companies cooperate with investigative authorities by turning over their users' data without receiving a court order. 22/2021, which came into force in February 2021, simplifies the licensing and certain other procedures required . Japanese politician Yamada Taro has proposed changes to Criminal Code 175, so that hentai and pornography would no longer be censored. In June 2018, the government convened a panel to review potential legislation targeting websites that host pirated content. Every country has, at one time or another, been guilty of grievous acts of censorship. That same month, the ministry disclosed that Kobe Steel, NEC, and aerial surveying company Pasco were also targeted by cyberattacks between 2016 and 2018.9, Public attention to cybersecurity threats has increased since mid-2015, when 1.25 million citizens were affected by the release of personal information obtained by hackers who illegally accessed Japans pension system using an email virus.10, In 2020, as Japanese companies shifted to telework during the pandemic, the number of ransomware attacks surged to unprecedented levels, shutting down operations and paralyzing computer and email systems. The city has considered measures to deal with online hate speech, but did not implement a specific ordinance to address this activity. Censorship can be a constant factor, or it can be enacted during emergencies (or particular . Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and its toll on everyday life, the country has transitioned to new political leadership. The J-NSC remained active during the coverage period.2. To help limit its effectiveness, two local dailies instituted fact-checking processes. Kisha clubs provide essential access to officials in Japan, but they have been accused of denying such access to young journalists and new media outlets; the system may also limit some reporters access to certain locations, such as areas affected by the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? The UNs special rapporteur for privacy noted ahead of the laws passage that in order to establish the existence and the extent of such a planning and preparatory actions, it is logical to assume that those charged would have had to be subjected to a considerable level of surveillance beforehand.7, Under a wiretap law enacted in 2000, law enforcement agents may seek a court order to conduct electronic surveillance in criminal investigations involving drugs, firearms, human trafficking, or organized murders, in an exception to articles of other laws that explicitly forbid wiretapping.8 In June 2019, the movements organizer, actress and freelance writer Ishikawa Yumi, submitted an online petition, which then bore almost 20,000 signatures, to the Health Ministry calling for an end to the requirement.4 he age of consent in Japan is 13 years old because it is based on the Napoleonic Code, which was introduced to Japan in the late 19th century. Japan tends to censor some stuff like decapitations and gore. Service providers protect themselves from civil liability by adhering to voluntary guidelines on takedown requests.8 In May 2021, the Diet enacted the Digital Reform Bill, which streamlines how officials in Japan handle and share data and revises how personal data is protected under the law. Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users ability to publish content online? creator Ken Akamatsu has decided to walk the walk and change Japanese censorship laws by running for office. China. The origin of the term "censor" is traced to the office of censor created in ancient Rome, around 443 BC. It can be done by various methods and for a range of justifications. In May 2020, MICs minister Takaichi Sanae, voiced her interest in amending the Provider Liability Limitation Law.3 Washington, DC 20036, Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). There are still limits on paid online advertising and campaign emails, which can only be sent directly by a party or candidatenot a supporterin a measure designed to prevent fraud.8 In 2017, several municipalities asked for a clearer definition of hate speech under the law.7 The court has up to six months to decide whether to order a content provider to disclose the senders information, and can also order access providers to retain senders information during the proceedings. In 2017, the Japanese Supreme Court ruled in favor of Google and established criteria for delisting search results that same year.10 During the previous coverage period, Ishikawa Yumi, the woman who launched the #KuToo campaign, reported facing online harassment over her work, frequently from men (see B8).6, Physical violence in relation to online activities is rare. Cyberattacks occasionally target civil society and private companies, although none were reported during the coverage period. Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, has long been a prime target for stringent online censorship thanks to its broad audience base and ability to help influence public opinion. Law enforcement requests for this data should be supported by a warrant.4 Published Dec 29, 2021 Negima!? Increasingly, however, if we want to find direct government censorship of speech, we don't have to travel far. Since the laws introduction, many cities have subsequently moved to legislate against hate speech (see C2). Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? The society at large prefers harmony, and people avoid criticizing the role of Japans emperor, especially when connected with historical events like World War II. Internet freedom continued to improve in Japan during this reporting period. In 2017, the Japanese video website Niconico took down two videos posted from an internet protocol (IP) address in Osaka after municipal officials flagged them for violating a local ordinance regulating hate speech.3 Japan's laws on censorship have become a more frequent topic of discussion among anime fans in the past few months. 22 of 2021 on Environmental Protection and Management ("GR No.22/2021"). No citizens faced politically motivated arrest or prosecution for their online activity during the coverage period. In February 2021, protests erupted against then chairman of the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Yoshiro Mori, after he said "board meetings involving many women are lengthy and that women on the organizing committee all [knew] their place. Protestors, particularly women, used the hashtags #WomenWhoRefuseToKnowTheirPlace and #DontBeSilent in a show of solidarity and in defiance of sexism. The Agency for Cultural Affairs has jurisdiction over copyright law and provides guidance and supervision to copyright management organizations, including JASRAC. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Docomo, KDDI, and SoftBank all launched commercial fifth-generation (5G) services in March 2020.3 During Diet sessions, when questions were raised as to whether the Ministry of Defense and the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office were intercepting phone calls and e-mails, the government declined to answer.12. Access to the internet remains relatively equal across different segments of the population. Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? A Change.org petition calling for Mori's resignation garnered more than 145,000 signatures in one week. GR No. In May 2018, public broadcaster NHK and the Intercept reported on the activities of the Directorate for Signals Intelligence (DFS), a spy agency that monitors and analyzes electronic communications.15 (Kotaku also says that Japanese porn is painstakingly censored by hand, earning the highly skilled laborers $15 per hour.) 482-FZ on Amendments to the Federal Law on Enforcement Actions Regarding Persons Involved in Violations of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms and the Rights and Freedoms of the Russian Federation Citizens. Messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Viber, are often. However, in June 2018, Okamoto Kenichiro, known as Hagex online, was murdered in Fukuoka after presenting a seminar on best practices to deal with online disagreements and abuse, among other topics.7 : spring pictures) that are banned in present-day Japan and were printed and published in the USA. A coalition of groups, including the Japan Internet Providers Association and the Movement of Internet Active Users, an organization that advocates for users rights, lobbied against the mandate, and mobile users can now select voluntary filters.9, Right to be forgotten cases increased around the same time as a landmark 2014 decision on the topic by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The judge also ordered the confiscation of approximately 62 million ($562,290) that Hoshino had hidden in overseas bank accounts. During the previous reporting period, a number of users were charged with virus-related offenses (see C3). Specifically, the government will consolidate personal information among local government and central government servers, and will link personal data to individuals unique 12-digit numbers.9, During the drafting process, it became clear that the government's priority was to effectively manage internet users information rather than to protect personal data.10 We're doing our best to get things working smoothly! Some companies offer free Wi-Fi, including the private company Wire and Wireless (Wi2), part of the KDDI group, which provides free internet access in restaurants, coffee shops, and train stations; registration requires an email address.6 Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? Cybersecurity efforts ramped up ahead of the summer Olympics, which were originally planned for 2020, particularly around internet of things (IoT) devices.1, In October 2020, the UK National Cyber Security Centre revealed that Russian military intelligence was planning a cyberattack on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021 in an attempt to disrupt the event.2 The telecommunications, internet, and broadcast sectors are regulated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) rather than an independent commission. Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? Independent online media and citizen media outlets have faced obstacles in their work, particularly due to the prevalence of the kisha club, or formal press association, system. Voters found to have improperly solicited support for a candidate via email could be fined 500,000 ($4,534) or imprisoned for two years.10, Article 175 of the penal code bans the sale or distribution of obscene material, and while the relevant provisions date back more than century, they are considered to apply online.11 In April 2021, Reporters Without Borders also criticized the kisha club system in their annual World Press Freedom Index.4. The law obliges agents to notify targets of wiretaps after investigations are concluded and inform the Diet about the number they implement annually. The law gives a range of officials the discretion to indefinitely restrict public information pertaining to national security.2 There are few obstacles to internet access, no blocks on websites, and the legal framework provides strong protections for various forms of expression. With the space for such advocacy under threat in many . In March 2020, the government approved a revision of the Copyright Act, making it illegal to download manga, magazines, and academic publications, in addition to music and videos including in the previous version, without the copyright holders permission. Genshin Impact quietly announced a somewhat odd change right before patch 2.4 launched this week. In June 2020, Japan passed amendments to the Act on the Protection of Personal Information. Japanese residents exercise some self-censorship online, often on historical and social issues. Government statistics show that the average cost of internet access for households with two or more people across Japan in 2020 was 3,601 ($34.59) compared with 3,753 ($36.05) in 2017.2 The 2001 Provider Liability Limitation Act directed ISPs to establish a self-regulatory framework to govern takedown requests involving illegal or objectionable content, defamation, privacy violations, and copyright infringement.9 Wi-Fi access has been tied to mobile subscriptions in the past, which presents a barrier for users without contracts.7, Connectivity is occasionally restricted accidentally or due to network congestion and server outages. Google reported 145 requests for user data between January and June 2020 and produced some data in 83 percent of cases.16 Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users right to privacy? In January 2021, the revised Copyright Act, which criminalizes the downloading of unlicensed manga, magazines, and academic publications, took effect. Sagamihara City is also planning to enact a criminal ordinance that would target hate speech against members of specific ethnic or racial groups in 2021.18 The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has shocked Japan, a country with one of the world's lowest rates of gun crime due to its strict laws on gun ownership. And in Japan, case law precedent offers non . A number of laws regulate online activity, including by imposing civil and criminal liability. Four of its women characters, Jean, Amber, Mona and Rosaria, would be getting new "alternate . Score Change: The score improved from 5 to 6 because the government did not block any websites or platforms during the coverage period. In 2021, Japan faces some of the biggest social, political, and economic changes of a lifetime. Otherwise, individuals or police ask ISPs to administratively delete contested or illegal content. and Japan Airlines changed its dress code, allowing female flight attendants to wear pants and flat shoes.6, Four civil society organizations, J-ALL, Athlete Ally, All Out, and Human Rights Watch jointly called for online signatures for a petition calling for the government to adopt legislation that protects members of the LGBT+ community from discrimination; the petition, which was submitted to the LDP in March 2021, had over 40,000 signatures from Japanese individuals.7 While the censorship and oppression Imperial Japan committed against journalists and the Japanese left pales in comparison to its actions and cover-ups in countries such as China, Korea and the Philippines, it should nonetheless be publicized and confronted. The bill allows users to download image-based material or certain forms of academic content that is meant for private use.6 Facebook reported 66 government requests involving 82 accounts between July and December 2020. Rakuten, in an effort to gain a competitive edge, launched cheaper plans in April 2021 compared to those offered by the other three mobile service providers. Under the law, all online dating services must register with the police, verify their customers ages with a drivers license or credit card, and delete or block content that appears to involve someone under 18; most services voluntarily monitor messages in real time to ensure compliance. Besides benefiting Japanese consumers,9 Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? In April 2019, the Macnica Networks Corporation, an information-technology trading firm, stated that groups reportedly connected to China were suspected of targeting private companies; it cited alleged efforts by Chinese cyberespionage group APT10 to hack Japanese defense companies in 2018.6, In January 2020, the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation disclosed that that it experienced massive cyberattacks in June 2019. The information collected is reportedly stored for around two months, during which it is analyzed to determine if it is of interest to the DFS. Under the amended law, overseas companies are also obligated to notify the government of data breaches that involve sensitive information, cause financial injury, or affect more than 1,000 users. Japan has three major mobile operatorsau, a KDDI brand; NTT Docomo; and SoftBank. This would mean navigating the country's notoriously tricky censorship rules, but given that China was, at the time, home to an estimated 560 million gamers, the commercial appeal was irresistible. Critics say the law does not prevent the systematic storage of intercepted communications or protect innocent parties.10 YouTubers and Instagram personalities have also become increasingly influential in recent years. Many providers bundle digital media subscriptions, including cable television, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services, and email, pushing costs higher. On February 19, 2021, the Justice Ministry announced that 20,120 mobile phone calls were tapped in 20 cases during 2020, leading to 152 arrests. Change.org Uh oh. In June 2016, the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to the police practice of monitoring places of worship and other venues used by members of the Muslim community. According to Article 23(1) of Japan's Public Housing Law, it only applies to married and unmarried different-sex couples. In February 2021, weekly news magazine Shukan Bunshun reported that NTT's president and other executives had repeatedly treated officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, including Deputy Director General Yasuhiko Taniwaki, to lavish dinners.6 In November 2018, the amended Telecommunications Business Act and the Act on the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) came into effect.3 In May 2021, the NICT released a summary of NOTICE-related activities, disclosing that it attempted to access 112 million IP addresses, and that the NOTICE alert detected 1,817 targets and notified service providers.6, The conspiracy law passed in 2017 raised the possibility of more government surveillance. While both uploading and downloading pirated material was already illegal under the copyright law, with uploaders subject to 10 years imprisonment or fines of up to 10 million ($90,692), the version in effect since 2012 added two years in jail or fines of up to 2 million ($18,138) for downloading a single pirated file.4, In response to the attempted blocking of manga piracy sites in early 2018 (see B1), the Cultural Council of the Cultural Affairs Agency discussed amending the copyright law to expand the types of content that would be illegal to download or reproduce beyond pirated music and videos, to include material such as social media posts showing animated characters or personal blogs with icons containing copyrighted images.5 It criminalized planning to commit a series of newly designated serious crimes that could supposedly fund terrorism, including copyright violations, potentially making more suspects subject to wiretaps. It is a point of pride in the US that freedom of speech is written into the Constitution. There is full competition in the ownership of gateways to the international internet.1 Kisha clubs and an advertising market that favors established players may be preventing digital media from gaining a stronger foothold in the market. Service providers and other technology companies can be required to aid the government in monitoring the communications of their users. Following the governments effort to block manga piracy sites in early 2018, observers expressed concern that the move conflicted with the Telecommunications Business Act and the constitutional ban on censorship.2 Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? The court stated that removal of information can be demanded only when privacy protection concerns clearly outweigh the publics interest in the disclosure of information online.12 Criminal sanctions for misusing personal data and restrictions on the transfer of personal data to overseas jurisdictions that lack equivalent safeguards were also strengthened.7 In one significant cyberattack against civil society organizations, at least 33 antinuclear citizens groups were targeted in 2013.5 Many experts have indicated their concern about ambiguous components of the law that could be abused. Japanese individuals, particularly women, have used the internet to protest against gender-based discrimination and effect tangible change. The 2014 state secrets law, which covers national security issues, may make surveillance abuses harder to document (see C1 and C2). With this, they brought an end to his nine-month spree of destruction. LINE reported that 80 percent of the global law enforcement requests for user data that it received between July and December 2020 came from Japanese entities. Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? Three men and three women, who acted as instructors and executors alongside Hoshino, were also convicted of violating the Copyright Act.1 The article does not define what constitutes obscenity, leading to concerns that it could be invoked against artistic expression or used to curtail the rights of LGBT+ people.12. In June 2020, the Tokyo High Court reversed a lower court ruling that Twitter must remove posts which detailed the plaintiffs arrest records (see B3). Quietly announced a somewhat odd change right before patch 2.4 launched this week have! Targeting websites that host pirated content otherwise, individuals or police ask ISPs to administratively delete contested illegal. 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