Here's an important new article by Patrick St. Michel at The Japan Times, 5/4/19. It should be added to the VAOJ "Shooting Culture in Japan" project which deals with the ethics of doing visual anthropology in Japan. Methods, ethics and privacy are constantly evolving and changing with new technology, thinking and practices. The discourse on these issues needs to continue.
A man in Chiba Prefecture became irritated last month at how long it was taking for a barrier at a rail crossing to open. Losing patience, he fetched a hand saw from his van and removed the barrier arm so that he could drive through.
Unfortunately, another person recorded the incident on their phone and posted it on Twitter. The user apologized for capturing a few passing cars’ license plates, but believed it was important to capture the man’s behavior. The post went viral, attracting tons of attention online before ultimately being picked up by television networks.
When excerpts from the video were broadcast on TV, news programs blurred the man’s face. This is common practice for mass media in Japan, but this was only one of several recent incidents underlining how social media has changed such perception of privacy. Sites such as Twitter and YouTube are far more likely to encroach into someone’s space, whether the purpose is to shame someone for acting badly … or simply score some laughs.
Part of the appeal of the internet early on in Japan was the sense of anonymity granted to users. This allowed sites such as 2channel or Mixi to become hubs of online activity. Even today, Twitter in Japan stands apart from other platforms because of this, with its privacy policy even specifying that pseudonyms are acceptable.
This anonymity has emboldened users to attack others, with no hesitation about hiding their identity. One of the most popular genres of video online is the DQN video, a slang term referring to people acting in a stupid or obnoxious fashion. Compilations on YouTube capture such behavior in convenience stores and on the streets. This has extended to all corners of the internet, where some use the Net as a way to shame anyone doing something they shouldn’t be doing.
A recent example of this occurred in Nagoya, where a man delayed a train by refusing to let its doors close. A video of the incident was shared online and was ultimately picked up by TV networks, which also blurred the faces of the people that appeared in the frame.
This is because the networks are playing it safe. Media law in Japan gives people the right to be left alone, while portrait rights allow individuals to avoid being photographed. Such legislation has been around for decades as a way to protect identities, although the application of such laws gets blurry pretty fast. In short, if you film in public and you publish the results online, a person in the footage can in theory file a complaint if their identity is clear. Such practice also applies to social media, as a person can file similar complaints to YouTube or Twitter.
In general, traditional media abides by these standards to avoid lawsuits. They are bigger targets with large financial reserves, after all. Individual online users generally don’t have to worry about this too much, although it is possible to find yourself in hot water for uploading such posts.
It isn’t all about documenting jerks and teens messing with food. The Twitter account Shibuya Meltdown shares photos and videos of people sleeping in the entertainment district, along with images of other chaotic behavior.
“Yeah, for some reason it’s the funniest thing in the world,” account founder Thom O’Brien told Vice in 2016.
Is it ethical? In the Vice interview, O’Brien wrestles with this question, but justifies it by saying being in public makes them fair game (while also avoiding ethical pits such as photographing homeless individuals). Shibuya Meltdown is ultimately a DQN account without the shaming (down to highlighting recent incidents), and has proven popular both at home and abroad. It helps that O’Brien says he doesn’t profit from the site or try to sway public opinion — compare this to a like-minded Polish photographer’s series, which was published in a book and tried to take a broader look at life in Japan. People weren’t so happy.
However, trepidation still exists. Sometimes, Japanese netizens post images on #shibuyameltdown but go so far as to blur out faces.
Maybe the best way to look at privacy on social media in Japan is to treat each user like its own TV station, and it is up to them to decide whether or not to play it safe and blur the faces. Hopefully, they will be able to save a few barrier poles at rail crossings in the process.
Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/04/national/media-national/social-media-fails-follow-traditional-news-outlets-stricter-approach-portrait-rights-japan/
Click here for the VAOJ "Shooting Culture in Japan" project posts.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Monday, July 2, 2012
Shuwa Dandelion Event in Osaka with Ezoe & Yonaiyama
Recently at the newly established JSL school in Osaka, Dandelion, two deaf "celebrities" discussed sign language news and the current state of deaf people in the realms of politics, culture, education, interpretation and other issues in Japanese society.
The first celebrity speaker was Satoshi Ezoe, founder of the Deaf News Network (DNN). He discussed the founding and evolution of this special internet news service for deaf people in Japan. It all began with the lack of news and information available for deaf people during the wake of 3/11 disasters. Ezoe began broadcasting on March 14, 2011 and supplied much needed news to deaf people in Japanese Sign Language. Since then, deaf people have requested more varied news broadcasts and so the DNN has been expanding. DNN uses relatively simple technology. There is no fancy studio. Rather Ezoe and other newscasters use the camera in their personal computer to make videos and then make them available through YouTube. This seems to be a popular service for deaf people throughout Japan and in other parts of the world.
The second celebrity speaker was Akihiro Yonaiyama, long time actor, writer, producer, teacher... He is probably the most well known Japanese deaf person in and out of Japan. His main lecture was a criticism of the recent policies of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD). The JFD views sign language as a means of communication rather than a boda fide language and does not support the idea of Deaf culture. This runs counter to most major national deaf organizations throughout the world and to proponents of Deaf culture (and/or Deaf/Japanese bilingualism) within Japan. While I won't go into specifics here, Yonaiyama's energetic lecture certainly illustrates the politics is alive and well in the Japanese deaf world; the Japanese deaf are not a unified group which adds to the challenges they face in an overwhelmingly hearing hegemonic society.
The event ended with a social gathering at a near-by izakaya where several ideas about improving the situation of the deaf were shared over food and drink. This was another great example of deaf people traveling throughout Japan to share information and exchange ideas.
Link to photos from the event: https://picasaweb.google.com/visual.gonthros/ShuwaDandelion?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Link to Deaf Network News (in Japanese and JSL; a simple English description is also available): http://www.dnn-japan.com/
Link to Dandelion Blog (in Japanese and JSL): http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/hi_ka_ju_ta
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
"Yomiuri ties up with AFP for broader worldwide photo circulation"
From NSK News Bulletin January 2012:
The Yomiuri Shimbun is to begin distributing its news photos on a subscription basis to foreign media via AFP, the French state-owned news agency, starting on Feb. 1.
The Yomiuri’s photos for overseas distribution via AFP include photos not appearing in the Yomiuri’s daily newspaper, various on-the-spot photos of disasters or incidents that have been provided by Yomiuri readers, and an archive of the paper’s past news photos.
The leading Japanese daily signed a distribution contract with AFP on Dec. 9.
The Yomiuri had earlier tied up with the Associated Press, the leading U.S. news agency. That August 2010 tie-up put Yomiuri photos into distribution in many markets overseas. In this latest tie-up, with AFP, the Yomiuri is targeting its Japan photo distribution at Europe, the Middle East and Africa, all of which are distribution strongholds for AFP, Yomiuri officials said.
Link to NSK News Bulletin: http://www.pressnet.or.jp/english/newsb/
Link to AFP - Photos: http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en/taglibrary/know-how/photo
The Yomiuri Shimbun is to begin distributing its news photos on a subscription basis to foreign media via AFP, the French state-owned news agency, starting on Feb. 1.
The Yomiuri’s photos for overseas distribution via AFP include photos not appearing in the Yomiuri’s daily newspaper, various on-the-spot photos of disasters or incidents that have been provided by Yomiuri readers, and an archive of the paper’s past news photos.
The leading Japanese daily signed a distribution contract with AFP on Dec. 9.
The Yomiuri had earlier tied up with the Associated Press, the leading U.S. news agency. That August 2010 tie-up put Yomiuri photos into distribution in many markets overseas. In this latest tie-up, with AFP, the Yomiuri is targeting its Japan photo distribution at Europe, the Middle East and Africa, all of which are distribution strongholds for AFP, Yomiuri officials said.
Link to NSK News Bulletin: http://www.pressnet.or.jp/english/newsb/
Link to AFP - Photos: http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en/taglibrary/know-how/photo
Monday, February 21, 2011
ABC News Story: "A Father's Plea: Desperate Effort to Return American Children Abducted to Japan"
Video grab borrowed from ABC News.com
International child abduction is a controversial subject in Japan and it is problematic that Japan, as opposed to most other developed countries, has not signed the Hague Convention governing international child abduction... yet. There have been many heart-wrenching stories about foreign fathers not being able to even meet their children after divorcing their Japanese wives. Once the children are in Japan, foreign fathers have absolutely no rights to joint custody or even visitation.
ABC News in the United States has done a report on this subject and it is available at the links below.
Video: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/mothers-spiriting-kids-japan-12926340
Video and text: http://abcnews.go.com/International/american-children-abducted-japan-desperate-fathers-contact-children/story?id=12919762
Longer video version: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/americans-japan-12927754
This is a big problem, and it is increasing as so-called international marriages increase (blame globalization?). In Japan alone it is said that one out of every twenty marriages is international. And one out of every eighteen divorces is international. But this isn't a Japan only sort of problem (as ABC News reports in another story linked to the Japan report) and nothing really so new. My own uncle married a woman from Switzerland in the 1980s and they had a kid. They got divorced and his ex-wife claimed to be taking the baby back to Switzerland for a vacation. Of course they never returned to America. Switzerland had not yet signed the international convention. So I know very well the anguish that such fathers face. And this post is not meant to belittle their suffering or the problem at all.
But this post will be critical of the way ABC News covered their report and the way in which they present Japan. One must also wonder why Japan is being singled out, as most Asian countries have not signed the international convention. Nor has Russia or most African countries. One might ask why so many American men are marrying Japanese women and taking them back to America.
For more information on the Hague Convention, see the link below.
Link to Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction:http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.text&cid=24
"So what is it about Japan?" ABC News asks. It answers the question with problematic language and facts which are not so accurate. Phrases like Japanese women are taking American children "thousands of miles way" and "half a world away." Japanese women have "fled to Japan" with American children. American children have been "Spirited off to Japan" (a reference to the popular Miyazaki anime). It seems that they forgot that the wives are Japanese and going home. Where else would they take their children? And aren't the children (at least half-)Japanese as well?
The report also states that mothers have stronger parental rights than fathers in Japan because of "law based on centuries of tradition." This is not accurate. Centuries of tradition would suggest that children are property of the patriarchal head of household. Divorce and single parent households in Japan are relatively recent. It is true these days that mothers usually get custody of their children after divorce, but not all of the time.
The reporting style gets pretty ridiculous at times. Why should the FBI have jurisdiction in a foreign country? Why is the reporter going after Japanese mothers and relatives and engaging them in English?
And why not throw in some post-911 paranoia when in the business of othering? How is this issue a "national security threat?"
Should all of Japan and Japanese culture be blamed for this problem because the government has not signed the international convention and because 321 Japanese wives have kidnapped their kids and brought them to Japan?
Is the visual anthropologist losing sight of the big picture by focusing on such details of misrepresentation?
Can't such a serious problem be reported upon in a more accurate and less orientalist fashion?
I believe the Japanese government will eventually sign the convention as indicated by the two recent news stories below.
Link to "Japan conducts online survey on parental child abductions" (Japan Today, 5/26/10): http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-conducts-online-survey-on-parental-child-abductions
Link to "Gov't sets up cabinet-level council on Hague child abduction convention" (Japan Today, 1/22/11): http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/japan-sets-up-cabinet-level-council-on-hague-child-abduction-convention
Will signing the convention solve all the problems? Most likely not. The problem stems from marriage difficulties between people rather than being an international conspiracy. But hopefully signing the convention will be a step in the right direction to assist those involved in international relationships... For the fathers, for the mothers, and most especially for the children.
In the meantime, let's hope that ABC News can improve on their coverage of international problems.
(Thanks to JH for bringing the report to my attention.)
Friday, March 12, 2010
"2-second video causes headache for ABC News"
From the Associated Press via Google (3/11/10):
For the want of a better two-second picture of a tachometer, ABC News has called into question its reporting on acceleration problems with Toyota vehicles.
The network's handling of a Feb. 22 "World News" story about potential problems with computer systems in Toyotas has created ethical questions and intensified bitter feelings the besieged automaker already had toward ABC.
ABC has admitted to a misjudgment and swapped out the brief dashboard video in its report, which continues to be available online. Its story illustrated a report by David Gilbert, a Southern Illinois University professor who suggested that a design flaw in Toyotas might leave a short-circuit that could cause sudden acceleration undetected by the car's computer system.
Correspondent Brian Ross' "World News" report showed him driving a Toyota with Gilbert that was rigged to quickly accelerate. Even though he knew it was coming, Ross said the incident left him shaken, and he had a hard time getting the car to come to a stop.
Briefly during the drive, ABC cut to a picture of a tachometer with the needle zooming forward. The impression was that the tachometer was documenting the ride Ross was taking. Instead, that picture was taken from a separate instance where a short-circuit was induced in a parked car.
ABC said that editing was done because it was impossible to get a good picture of the tachometer while the car was moving because the camera was shaking. The camera shot was steady when it was taken in a parked car.
"The tachometer showed the same thing every time," said ABC News spokeswoman Emily Lenzner.
Toyota spokesman John Hanson disputes that, saying tachometers react much more dramatically when short-circuits happen in a parked car than a car that is moving. Tachometers measure engine speed.
It all points to problems that are created when visual journalists try to alter reality in order to get a better picture.
"Anytime you give the audience any reason to doubt the honesty of the piece, that's a serious problem," said Charlotte Grimes, a Syracuse University journalism professor who specializes in ethical issues.
"Do they honestly think that a company like Toyota, with all the resources that it has, would not be looking at these things?" Grimes asked.
Toyota recognized the differences right away: the shot showed the car's speedometer was at zero, the parking brake was on and no one was using the seat belts — while Ross wore one on the test drive, Hanson said. Online discussion of the differences began almost immediately, and the Web site Gawker.com wrote about it last week.
ABC edited the online version of its story shortly after that story appeared and wrote a note on its Web site explaining why.
"This was a misjudgment made in the editing room," Lenzner said. "They should have left the shaky shot in. But I want to make clear that the two-second shot that was used did not change the outcome of the report in any way."
The inserted tachometer shot still didn't specifically illustrate Ross' ride. It was from another ride made in order to create different camera angles. A camera person could not have captured the tachometer shot with Ross and Gilbert both in the car, Lenzner said.
Toyota's Hanson said it was next to impossible for the short circuit detailed by Gilbert to happen in real life. The automaker, which had to recall many of its cars because of problems associated with a depressed gas pedal, held a news conference on Monday to try and refute Gilbert's study. It depicted similar short circuits in other cars, none of which were detected by the vehicles' computer system.
Read the whole story:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gbcg8FGyol4NgJzr3dOp-o2XJk2AD9EC7MN80
Read the ABC NEWS updated story on-line:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-recall-electronic-design-flaw-linked-toyota-runaway-acceleration-problems/story?id=9909319
For the want of a better two-second picture of a tachometer, ABC News has called into question its reporting on acceleration problems with Toyota vehicles.
The network's handling of a Feb. 22 "World News" story about potential problems with computer systems in Toyotas has created ethical questions and intensified bitter feelings the besieged automaker already had toward ABC.
ABC has admitted to a misjudgment and swapped out the brief dashboard video in its report, which continues to be available online. Its story illustrated a report by David Gilbert, a Southern Illinois University professor who suggested that a design flaw in Toyotas might leave a short-circuit that could cause sudden acceleration undetected by the car's computer system.
Correspondent Brian Ross' "World News" report showed him driving a Toyota with Gilbert that was rigged to quickly accelerate. Even though he knew it was coming, Ross said the incident left him shaken, and he had a hard time getting the car to come to a stop.
Briefly during the drive, ABC cut to a picture of a tachometer with the needle zooming forward. The impression was that the tachometer was documenting the ride Ross was taking. Instead, that picture was taken from a separate instance where a short-circuit was induced in a parked car.
ABC said that editing was done because it was impossible to get a good picture of the tachometer while the car was moving because the camera was shaking. The camera shot was steady when it was taken in a parked car.
"The tachometer showed the same thing every time," said ABC News spokeswoman Emily Lenzner.
Toyota spokesman John Hanson disputes that, saying tachometers react much more dramatically when short-circuits happen in a parked car than a car that is moving. Tachometers measure engine speed.
It all points to problems that are created when visual journalists try to alter reality in order to get a better picture.
"Anytime you give the audience any reason to doubt the honesty of the piece, that's a serious problem," said Charlotte Grimes, a Syracuse University journalism professor who specializes in ethical issues.
"Do they honestly think that a company like Toyota, with all the resources that it has, would not be looking at these things?" Grimes asked.
Toyota recognized the differences right away: the shot showed the car's speedometer was at zero, the parking brake was on and no one was using the seat belts — while Ross wore one on the test drive, Hanson said. Online discussion of the differences began almost immediately, and the Web site Gawker.com wrote about it last week.
ABC edited the online version of its story shortly after that story appeared and wrote a note on its Web site explaining why.
"This was a misjudgment made in the editing room," Lenzner said. "They should have left the shaky shot in. But I want to make clear that the two-second shot that was used did not change the outcome of the report in any way."
The inserted tachometer shot still didn't specifically illustrate Ross' ride. It was from another ride made in order to create different camera angles. A camera person could not have captured the tachometer shot with Ross and Gilbert both in the car, Lenzner said.
Toyota's Hanson said it was next to impossible for the short circuit detailed by Gilbert to happen in real life. The automaker, which had to recall many of its cars because of problems associated with a depressed gas pedal, held a news conference on Monday to try and refute Gilbert's study. It depicted similar short circuits in other cars, none of which were detected by the vehicles' computer system.
Read the whole story:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gbcg8FGyol4NgJzr3dOp-o2XJk2AD9EC7MN80
Read the ABC NEWS updated story on-line:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-recall-electronic-design-flaw-linked-toyota-runaway-acceleration-problems/story?id=9909319
Thursday, April 10, 2008
"Porn producers arrested for filming at McDonald's in Saitama"
(From Japan Today, April 10, 2008)
Police on Wednesday arrested an adult movie producer, two cast members and crew for filming a porn movie at a McDonald’s shop in Higashi-Matsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, in January.
Producer Kunikazu Ishii, 51, an actress, 21, an actor, 29, and staff were arrested for allegedly shooting a porn film at the McDonald’s outlet around 3 p.m. on Jan 24. A customer noticed them and called police. McDonald’s staff were apparently unaware of what was going on.
One of the suspects was quoted by police as saying, “We didn’t think it would be a problem as long as nobody noticed what we were doing.”
Latest 15 of 67 Total Comments
Link to the story at Japan Today:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/porn-producers-arrested-for-filming-at-mcdonalds-in-saitama
More information, including a photo of the actress (clothed) and a video clip of the story as reported on Japanese TV (NTV) can be found at the following Japan Probe post:
Link to "Actress & Crew Arrested For Shooting Porno Movie At McDonald’s:"
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=4239
Visual anthropology?
Police on Wednesday arrested an adult movie producer, two cast members and crew for filming a porn movie at a McDonald’s shop in Higashi-Matsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, in January.
Producer Kunikazu Ishii, 51, an actress, 21, an actor, 29, and staff were arrested for allegedly shooting a porn film at the McDonald’s outlet around 3 p.m. on Jan 24. A customer noticed them and called police. McDonald’s staff were apparently unaware of what was going on.
One of the suspects was quoted by police as saying, “We didn’t think it would be a problem as long as nobody noticed what we were doing.”
Latest 15 of 67 Total Comments
Link to the story at Japan Today:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/porn-producers-arrested-for-filming-at-mcdonalds-in-saitama
More information, including a photo of the actress (clothed) and a video clip of the story as reported on Japanese TV (NTV) can be found at the following Japan Probe post:
Link to "Actress & Crew Arrested For Shooting Porno Movie At McDonald’s:"
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=4239
Visual anthropology?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Naked Sign Language News in Japan
Warning: This posting is rated PG-13 or maybe even R.
Why didn't any of my deaf friends tell me about this?
Apparently there is a program on the Japanese Paradise TV network where news is delivered in sign language by a nude female telecaster. Until recently it has been receiving subsidies from the Japanese government for its production. Check out the following two links for more details.
Link to Reuters news story
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUST14978020070817
Link to article in Japan Times
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20070826t2.html
See an example of a naked sign language lesson on the Japanese YouTube site. (This clip seems to be the least "offensive." You can see more by doing a search on the Japanese Youtube and verifying your age.)
Link to YouTube clip
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=e6mUiBwxG-o
Click the below link to see another video clip from CNN.
Link to AOL videoclip
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/id/4152249623
I bet it's not only deaf people who are watching... Perhaps an interesting way to spread sign language use... Comments?
(Special thanks to MH for the heads up on this news item.)
Why didn't any of my deaf friends tell me about this?
Apparently there is a program on the Japanese Paradise TV network where news is delivered in sign language by a nude female telecaster. Until recently it has been receiving subsidies from the Japanese government for its production. Check out the following two links for more details.
Link to Reuters news story
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUST14978020070817
Link to article in Japan Times
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20070826t2.html
See an example of a naked sign language lesson on the Japanese YouTube site. (This clip seems to be the least "offensive." You can see more by doing a search on the Japanese Youtube and verifying your age.)
Link to YouTube clip
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=e6mUiBwxG-o
Click the below link to see another video clip from CNN.
Link to AOL videoclip
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/id/4152249623
I bet it's not only deaf people who are watching... Perhaps an interesting way to spread sign language use... Comments?
(Special thanks to MH for the heads up on this news item.)
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