Anime and Manga Regulation Bill Passes Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
Update
Anime and Manga Regulation Bill passed the assembly on December 15th.
Source: Niconico News
#==================================================
According to the official blog of Ito Masaki, one of the members of Tokyo Metropolitan assembly, the ruling party DPJ has decided to approve the anime and manga regulation bill. Other two major parites have already approved the bill, so it will pass the assembly on December 15th. DPJ agreed with the bill on condition that the resolution will be made with a collateral claim for a careful operation of the regulation. However, the collateral claim is not legally binding. The regulation will be enforced on July 1st 2011.
Mangaka Takaku Shoko tweeted that one of the major publishers turned her manga down because one of the characters in a high school uniform could contravene the local ordinance of Tokyo. She was frightened to know that the bill has already made the industry flinch.
Mangaka Meiji Kanako tweeted that the re-release of one of her manga has been under deliberation because of the descriptions of minors' sex in the manga. She said she won't be surprised if it's canceled.
Sources: Ito Masaki's blog, Takaku's tweet, Meiji's tweet, Sankei, Mainichi, Yomiuri
Related topic: Ten Major Manga Publishers To Boycott Tokyo International Anime Fair
Note: Self-regulation of books including manga has been done by Publishing Ethics Council since 1963. Designation of adult manga is done by this council, which was established by publishers and distributors. The supporters of the regulation bill insist that the self-regulation is insufficient.
Anime and Manga Regulation Bill passed the assembly on December 15th.
Source: Niconico News
#==================================================
According to the official blog of Ito Masaki, one of the members of Tokyo Metropolitan assembly, the ruling party DPJ has decided to approve the anime and manga regulation bill. Other two major parites have already approved the bill, so it will pass the assembly on December 15th. DPJ agreed with the bill on condition that the resolution will be made with a collateral claim for a careful operation of the regulation. However, the collateral claim is not legally binding. The regulation will be enforced on July 1st 2011.
Mangaka Takaku Shoko tweeted that one of the major publishers turned her manga down because one of the characters in a high school uniform could contravene the local ordinance of Tokyo. She was frightened to know that the bill has already made the industry flinch.
Mangaka Meiji Kanako tweeted that the re-release of one of her manga has been under deliberation because of the descriptions of minors' sex in the manga. She said she won't be surprised if it's canceled.
Sources: Ito Masaki's blog, Takaku's tweet, Meiji's tweet, Sankei, Mainichi, Yomiuri
Related topic: Ten Major Manga Publishers To Boycott Tokyo International Anime Fair
Note: Self-regulation of books including manga has been done by Publishing Ethics Council since 1963. Designation of adult manga is done by this council, which was established by publishers and distributors. The supporters of the regulation bill insist that the self-regulation is insufficient.
20 of 342 Comments Recent Comments
Gogetters said:
Onibokusu said:
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
That's not a good thing...Metaler said:
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
You obviously never read Sin City.
Jul 2, 2011 3:17 AM by SSRB-LazyMutt
Gogetters said:
You act like it's a major change, when it's not.
Onibokusu said:
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
That's not a good thing...Metaler said:
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
Jul 1, 2011 10:56 PM by no-thanks
Onibokusu said:
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
That's not a good thing...
Metaler said:
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
Jul 1, 2011 10:52 PM by Gogetters
Metaler said:
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
Jul 1, 2011 5:48 PM by no-thanks
Onibokusu said:
Any person that gives a damn about this regulation should actually know that the revisions suggested at the end of last year were rejected/thrown out by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on the 16th of June after the backlash from the majority of publishing firms in Tokyo, among other individuals.
The regulation (Youth Ordination Bill) as it existed before the revision is still there though.
Naturally Sankaku Complex didn't report on this, as they only post reaction stories.
Any person that gives a damn about this regulation should actually know that the revisions suggested at the end of last year were rejected/thrown out by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on the 16th of June after the backlash from the majority of publishing firms in Tokyo, among other individuals.
The regulation (Youth Ordination Bill) as it existed before the revision is still there though.
Naturally Sankaku Complex didn't report on this, as they only post reaction stories.
Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Jul 1, 2011 2:40 AM by SSRB-LazyMutt
Any person that gives a damn about this regulation should actually know that the revisions suggested at the end of last year were rejected/thrown out by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on the 16th of June after the backlash from the majority of publishing firms in Tokyo, among other individuals.
The regulation (Youth Ordination Bill) as it existed before the revision is still there though.
Naturally Sankaku Complex didn't report on this, as they only post reaction stories.
The regulation (Youth Ordination Bill) as it existed before the revision is still there though.
Naturally Sankaku Complex didn't report on this, as they only post reaction stories.
Jul 1, 2011 2:36 AM by no-thanks
It seems that Sankaku made the minds of everyone.
While I do disagree with this bill being passed, believing to be an attack on freedom of speech, no manga will actually be banned. Publishers will have to change their demographics, yes, but not ban their manga necessarily.
The bill states that manga with certain content must not be sold to anyone under the age 18. It's NOT a ban.
Don't get me wrong though, I still think that the government deciding what can and what can't be shown to minors is ridiculous, but if you're worried about a certain manga being cancelled, then don't worry. It won't.
And honestly, bills like these hardly ever work.
For instance, around here the government regulates what kinds of things may be shown to minors too, slapping everything with a rating (kinda like the ESRB, but by the govt), but most of the time the ratings are simply ignored. It's simply too much work to regulate. EVERYTHING.
While I do disagree with this bill being passed, believing to be an attack on freedom of speech, no manga will actually be banned. Publishers will have to change their demographics, yes, but not ban their manga necessarily.
The bill states that manga with certain content must not be sold to anyone under the age 18. It's NOT a ban.
Don't get me wrong though, I still think that the government deciding what can and what can't be shown to minors is ridiculous, but if you're worried about a certain manga being cancelled, then don't worry. It won't.
And honestly, bills like these hardly ever work.
For instance, around here the government regulates what kinds of things may be shown to minors too, slapping everything with a rating (kinda like the ESRB, but by the govt), but most of the time the ratings are simply ignored. It's simply too much work to regulate. EVERYTHING.
Jul 1, 2011 2:32 AM by SSRB-LazyMutt
For some reason. I feel like its going to be repealed anyway.. because this bill is so HATED. Its just like the comics ban, which totally failed.
I will just keep hoping! Because Freedom of Speech is IMPORTANT for everyone!
I will just keep hoping! Because Freedom of Speech is IMPORTANT for everyone!
Mar 3, 2011 12:24 AM by NoSounds
Some of you might have read this already, but I'll leave it here for you guys to check it out. http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2011/02/23/ishihara-wont-stand-for-4th-term-as-tokyo-governor/ It actually made me laugh. Although, I'm still angered by the bill. :(
Feb 23, 2011 10:54 PM by JayDestiny
It begins. Convenience stores in Tokyo now stack together Manga Home and Young Jump with idol magazines and ero-manga in the 18+ shelves.
Jan 6, 2011 8:25 AM by entropy13
That's so stupid...
Jan 3, 2011 3:58 PM by kawaiiyuris
koreye said:
whatever the case may be, he's a hypocrite if he thinks the same thing doesn't apply to novels or Live action. Besides, he's a politician :/
whatever the case may be, he's a hypocrite if he thinks the same thing doesn't apply to novels or Live action. Besides, he's a politician :/
You mean that isn't a requirement? [/snark]
Supposing his goal were a sort of "media cleansing", he'd have to be a lot more specific. I don't think he realizes it, but he's not directly regulating the content himself, and whoever's doing the reviewing might not be as strict as he likes. Or maybe it's just the first step of a grand chessmaster type plan. To which I can only be thankful he's so very old.
Dec 19, 2010 1:57 PM by bdxcr
ariapokoteng said:
He says he was wrong back then.=) And that was over a half century ago.
5. Ishihara used to be a novelist (decades ago). He has written 2 books ("Kanzen Na Yuugi" and "Shokei No Heya") - both are stories that praise gang-raping. (I'm serious. The former is about a bunch of young lads gang-raping and killing a girl and the latter is basically the same.)
He says he was wrong back then.=) And that was over a half century ago.
Doesn't matter what he says about that. He still wrote it and he is a hypocrite.
Dec 19, 2010 9:20 AM by Drunk_Samurai
Dan Kamenitsu posted Weekly Asashi's interview with the governor on his website...at one point:
Rest of it is here
whatever the case may be, he's a hypocrite if he thinks the same thing doesn't apply to novels or Live action. Besides, he's a politician :/
Weekly Asahi:
Oonuki from the Weekly Asahi.
I would like to ask you questions pertaining to the Tokyo Youth Protection and Development Ordinance [revision] that was passed in the full assembly just previously.
Governor, you stated in “True Sex Education” [a book that Mr. Shintaro Ishihara wrote in 1972] that no book of any sort could instigate children toward crime or delinquency, and that even if all undesirable books were wiped off the planet, crime would still take place.
Has your thoughts on this matter changed since then?
Governor Ishihara:
Oh yes, it changed quite a lot since.
Weekly Asahi:
Oh really?
Governor Ishihara:
I was misguided back then.
Weekly Asahi:
Oh really?
Governor Ishihara:
These days, the world has become a lot more crazy.
You see, back then books that affirmed perversion were few and far between.
I have no idea what kind of magazine Weekly Asahi is, but would you print that kind of stuff in your magazine?
[Note: Weekly Asahi happens to be one of Japan's most famous weekly news magazine that available at every bookstore and train stations in Japan.]
Weekly Asahi:
Well, we wouldn’t print it because I don’t think our readers would be find [such material] entertaining.
Governor Ishihara:
Exactly. Now would your newspaper, no your [Asahi] TV network, would they feature on screen the the [contents of the] kind of manga itself in question?
Oonuki from the Weekly Asahi.
I would like to ask you questions pertaining to the Tokyo Youth Protection and Development Ordinance [revision] that was passed in the full assembly just previously.
Governor, you stated in “True Sex Education” [a book that Mr. Shintaro Ishihara wrote in 1972] that no book of any sort could instigate children toward crime or delinquency, and that even if all undesirable books were wiped off the planet, crime would still take place.
Has your thoughts on this matter changed since then?
Governor Ishihara:
Oh yes, it changed quite a lot since.
Weekly Asahi:
Oh really?
Governor Ishihara:
I was misguided back then.
Weekly Asahi:
Oh really?
Governor Ishihara:
These days, the world has become a lot more crazy.
You see, back then books that affirmed perversion were few and far between.
I have no idea what kind of magazine Weekly Asahi is, but would you print that kind of stuff in your magazine?
[Note: Weekly Asahi happens to be one of Japan's most famous weekly news magazine that available at every bookstore and train stations in Japan.]
Weekly Asahi:
Well, we wouldn’t print it because I don’t think our readers would be find [such material] entertaining.
Governor Ishihara:
Exactly. Now would your newspaper, no your [Asahi] TV network, would they feature on screen the the [contents of the] kind of manga itself in question?
Rest of it is here
whatever the case may be, he's a hypocrite if he thinks the same thing doesn't apply to novels or Live action. Besides, he's a politician :/
Dec 19, 2010 7:30 AM by eyerok
ariapokoteng said:
He says he was wrong back then =)
5. Ishihara used to be a novelist (decades ago). He has written 2 books ("Kanzen Na Yuugi" and "Shokei No Heya") - both are stories that praise gang-raping. (I'm serious. The former is about a bunch of young lads gang-raping and killing a girl and the latter is basically the same.)
He says he was wrong back then =)
Really? 'Cause on TV yesterday a news reporter asked him about the novels and he said, "Shut up. Stop being an idiot, that's irrelevant." He said his novels didn't matter because they're literature. But, like you said, he might've changed afterwards, I dunno.
I wonder why he's not including TV shows, novels and photography to the list...maybe because his own novels'll be restricted, haha.
Dec 19, 2010 3:40 AM by redmetallic
5. Ishihara used to be a novelist (decades ago). He has written 2 books ("Kanzen Na Yuugi" and "Shokei No Heya") - both are stories that praise gang-raping. (I'm serious. The former is about a bunch of young lads gang-raping and killing a girl and the latter is basically the same.)
He says he was wrong back then.=) And that was over a half century ago.
Dec 19, 2010 3:23 AM by ariapokoteng
Err sorry for kinda barging in but I have some very interesting facts brought to you from Tokyo:
1. The people in Tokyo and the publishers weren't informed of this new bill until a week or so before it passed.
2. The majority of the people in Tokyo are against this.
3. 10 publishers are boycotting the Tokyo Anime Fair that Ishihara is hosting.
4. The assembly ignored a huge petition (150,000 people signed it) and 300+ letters protesting the bill.
5. Ishihara used to be a novelist (decades ago). He has written 2 books ("Kanzen Na Yuugi" and "Shokei No Heya") - both are stories that praise gang-raping. (I'm serious. The former is about a bunch of young lads gang-raping and killing a girl and the latter is basically the same.)
This bill isn't about keeping "harmful material" (in this case manga and anime only, which I think is a major problem) away from children...it's about Ishihara's hate for manga/anime/games, which he calls "an embarrassing part of Japanese culture".
1. The people in Tokyo and the publishers weren't informed of this new bill until a week or so before it passed.
2. The majority of the people in Tokyo are against this.
3. 10 publishers are boycotting the Tokyo Anime Fair that Ishihara is hosting.
4. The assembly ignored a huge petition (150,000 people signed it) and 300+ letters protesting the bill.
5. Ishihara used to be a novelist (decades ago). He has written 2 books ("Kanzen Na Yuugi" and "Shokei No Heya") - both are stories that praise gang-raping. (I'm serious. The former is about a bunch of young lads gang-raping and killing a girl and the latter is basically the same.)
This bill isn't about keeping "harmful material" (in this case manga and anime only, which I think is a major problem) away from children...it's about Ishihara's hate for manga/anime/games, which he calls "an embarrassing part of Japanese culture".
Dec 19, 2010 3:18 AM by redmetallic
YoungVagabond said:
...when it has been noted about 10 times already that is solely about comics.
...when it has been noted about 10 times already that is solely about comics.
Ah... maybe I shouldn't point this out again, but my earlier post—the relevant part of which and to which you also quoted and replied—actually stated quite the opposite.
I suppose I might have misread the blog post, which I'm almost too lazy to link to again, but ANN and even Sankaku Complex, which I won't link to here, also indicate that this remains relevant to both anime and manga. Other than the LA times, and one or two posts in this thread, I haven't seen it said anywhere that comics are the only thing covered in the scope of this bill. If it really has changed to pertain only to manga, I really and truly apologize. (Also, a link would be helpful, so I can get up-to-date.)
Still, even if it were only manga that were affected, it wouldn't really change my perspective, so I'm not sure why I'm bothering to try and clarify that.
Re: koreye: Which is exactly why it seems even more absurd to me that they should introduce it. It clearly broadens the scope, yet it seems that the scope of existing regulations is broad enough already. At this point it doesn't even seem like it's about protection, so much as about codifying morals into law.
Dec 19, 2010 12:43 AM by bdxcr
Actually I agree with youngvagabond here to some extent, and I also made that point somewhere else, probably in the last news topic. We dont know what they're going to do, and what the scope of the whole thing is, so its too early to comment. The reason I think the law is useless is because they already have enough powers to do what the new addition stipulates; so why the law? popularity stunt? long term campaign against hentai and borderline/semi hentai without appearing to be so? or is it some sort of a conspiracy to cripple the industry (lol) ? Its too early to speculate.
And its like someone else pointed, its their problem, not ours. By "their" I mean the Japanese people; Otakus, the public, publishers, parents, policy makers, mangakas etc we or our opinions dont really matter.
And its like someone else pointed, its their problem, not ours. By "their" I mean the Japanese people; Otakus, the public, publishers, parents, policy makers, mangakas etc we or our opinions dont really matter.
Dec 18, 2010 11:13 PM by eyerok
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Hmm, I didn't know about this, but I assume we shouldn't be as worried as we were before.
Of course not. The bill effectively does nothing, all it does it bring Japanese censorship up to the same level as it is in the West.
You obviously never read Sin City.
Censorship is wrong no matter what the reason.
Jul 5, 2011 10:24 AM by Drunk_Samurai