Some recent interesting articles to make one wonder about the priorities (and even common sense) of Japanese lawmakers...
Ban on possession of child porn takes effect in Japan
From The Japan Times, 7/15/15:
Japan finally moved to ban the possession of pornographic photos and videos of children on Wednesday, amid growing international criticism as the only Group of Seven industrialized country that had not passed a law on the matter.
After the Diet amended the law on punishment of activities relating to child prostitution and child pornography, the revised law took effect on July 15 last year. But a one-year moratorium was put in place in order to give individuals who had such images time to dispose of them.
Under the revised law, individuals may face a prison term of up to one year or a fine of up to ¥1 million for possession of pornographic images of children.
The revised law defines child pornographic photos and videos as those that are intended to expose or focus on children’s sexual parts.
However, manga, animation and computer graphics are not subject to punishment under the revised law in light of freedom of expression. There are concerns from legal experts that investigative authorities might abuse the law.
The number of child pornography cases covered by law enforcement by the country’s police stood at 1,828 in 2014, nearly doubling from 2009.
“We would like to continue to gear up for the crackdown,” said an official of the National Police Agency, which conducted a nationwide intensive patrol in cyberspace over the month through Tuesday.
“Requests (from owners) to scrap porn photos and DVDs surged within this one year,” said Toru Okumura, an Osaka-based lawyer who has dealt with a large number of child porn cases.
Noting that individuals might be investigated by police based on purchase history even if they no longer have child porn images, Okumura said the impact of the law revision would be enormous.
Given possible ambiguous cases, including images of individuals’ own children who are naked as part of their growth records, Okumura said it is desirable to consult a lawyer if it would be hard to tell whether such cases could violate the law.
Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/15/national/crime-legal/hit-global-criticism-japan-bans-individual-possession-child-porn-images-manga-exempt/#.VadO90VZG2w
So perverts got a whole year to dispose of their kiddie porn? And while manga and anime are exempt parents might be at risk for having photos of baby's first bath? (Yet another reason to discourage Japanese people from having children?) Manga and anime are popular and powerful - perhaps the very foundations of Japan's soft power. But check out this next article...
In ‘soft power’ terms, Japan ranks eighth out of 30 countries in U.K. consultancy report
From The Japan Times, 7/15/15:
Japan ranked eighth in the world in “soft power,” according to a new annual ranking released by U.K.-based consulting firm Portland.
The Soft Power 30, announced Wednesday, examines the strength of soft power resources in countries around the world, gauging their performance across six categories: government, education, culture, enterprise, engagement and digital. Data were collected on 50 countries, and the rankings were based on the top 30.
The firm defined “soft power,” first coined in 1990 by Harvard University professor Joseph Nye, as the ability of a country to harness attraction and persuasion, as opposed to force or financial payments, to pursue foreign policy objectives.
The report found that the U.K. leads the world in soft power. The country rated high in its culture, education and digital assets. The U.K. was followed by Germany, the U.S., France, Canada and Australia.
Japan came in eighth, ranking high in enterprise (third) and education (fourth). Japan’s ranking was the highest among Asian countries in the report, which also included South Korea, placing 20th and China at 30th.
“Japanese companies are admired around the world for their innovation, precision, and excellence in design,” the report said. “Despite two decades of recession, it remains a major aid donor, and a source of global credit and capital.”
The report rates Japan poorly, however, in adaptability to foreign languages.
“Despite some of the highest literacy rates in the world, even well-educated adults can display poor communication skills in English,” it said. “Perhaps tied to that is the fact that Japanese culture does not cut through to as many audiences as it should.”
The ranking was based on a combination of existing data by international organizations such as the OECD and World Bank with an online poll covering 7,250 people in 20 countries conducted between May 21 and June 8.
Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/15/national/soft-power-terms-japan-ranks-eighth-30-u-k-consultancy-gauge/#.VadQHEVZG2w
Japan is only ranked 8th? And behind Germany? Perhaps Gackt is right:
Gackt lashes out at Cool Japan: 'Almost no results of Japanese culture exported overseas'
From Japan Today, 7/6/15:
While visiting friends who were a part of the recent “Naruto” stage production, Japanese film and music star Gackt was left with a bad
feeling. Having watched one of the overseas “Naruto” performances, the singer couldn’t help but notice the lack of people in the audience.
Gackt doesn’t rule out possible flaws with the play such as too much material crammed into a short time. However, as he wrote in a recent impassioned blog post, he thinks the real culprit may be the Japanese government and their Cool Japan promotional program, which he feels is anything but.
“I wonder if anyone in Japan actually understands what Cool Japan does?”
Cool Japan was an initiative set forward by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI). Its purpose was to promote Japan’s “creative industries” to foreign countries. To many, including Gackt, this would mean products such as music, film, manga, and anime to name a few. Yet the performer feels that the Cool Japan budget is being sent somewhere else.
“The Japanese government made a new attempt at this in the name of Cool Japan, but while they have set up a huge budget for it, they have no idea where that money should go. It’s no exaggeration to say it has fallen into a downward spiral of wasted tax money flowing into little known companies.
“Let’s assume that it is the right move for the money to go into these obscure companies. There still have been almost no tangible results of Japanese culture being exported into foreign countries. I can’t help but accuse METI of having no idea how to use this huge budget properly.”
Read the whole story: http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/gackt-lashes-out-at-cool-japan-almost-no-results-of-japanese-culture-exported-overseas
Problems with priorities, plans, implementations, and of course, results... With so many problems going on here in in Japan, may I propose: Gackt for Prime Minister!
No comments:
Post a Comment