In February 2019, civil society groups and ordinary users issued a joint statement asking the MIC to suspend the program,5 YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and international blog-hosting services are freely available, as are popular local platforms like Niconico, the video-sharing site, and LINE, a chat application that was launched in Japan in 2011. In 2017, two people were sentenced to 18 months in prison, a three-year suspension, and a 500,000 ($4,534) fine for copyright-related offenses.2, Journalists who report on sensitive topics also face government and authorities pressure in the form of defamation lawsuits. To help limit its effectiveness, two local dailies instituted fact-checking processes. No major incidents of physical violence related to peoples online activity were reported during the coverage period, though incidents of online harassment and intimidation, particularly against women, individuals with at least one Black parent, and medical personnel, did occur (see C7). As of 2021, the internet penetration rate for households stood at 93 percent.2, Providers continue to develop telecommunications infrastructure, in part to alleviate mobile network congestion. Censorship in Japan has taken many forms throughout the history of the country. Access is well distributed across the population, though access is less common among the elderly.4 Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? The man who later confessed to the stabbing allegedly harassed Okamoto online; in November 2019, he received an 18-year prison sentence.8. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in online harassment directed at medical personnel and individuals who allegedly contracted COVID-19. Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? Analysis of about half a million sample tweets posted before and after Japan's 2014 general election revealed that most posts were near-duplicates or retweets of those posted by bots, including many that disseminated nationalist or progovernment messages.3 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. 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 A new player, e-commerce company Rakuten, which seeks to become Japans fourth major mobile service provider, launched its mobile service in April 2020.2. Japans telecommunications infrastructure is advanced, and there have been no reports of the government deliberately disconnecting telecommunications service. Some companies cooperate with investigative authorities by turning over their users' data without receiving a court order. 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. No ordinance was proposed or passed at the end of the coverage period. The server is misbehaving. However, the LDP ultimately decided not to submit a bill on LGBT+ equality due to strong opposition by some conservative lawmakers.8, In early 2019, users rallied behind a Tokyo Shimbun reporter who was targeted by the government. However, a revised and newly enacted anti-piracy law criminalizes illegally downloading manga, magazines, and academic texts, but did not expand the governments ability to block websites (see C2).3. Under the guidelines, anyone can report material that infringes directly on their personal rights to the service provider, either to have it removed or to find out who posted it. 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 Security agents and the military were accused of conducting illegal surveillance in cases involving national security in 2003 and 2004.13 The report notes that the NSA provided XKEYSCORE, a surveillance tool that can search through a range of content and metadata online, to the DFS.17. In this case, a man asked Google to remove search results documenting a crime he committed over five years earlier.11 Some of those arrested were fined 100,000 ($906).5 Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 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. Outstanding challenges include ethnic and gender-based discrimination and claims of improperly close relations between government and the business sector. The Inclusive Internet Index 2021 report ranks Japan 17th out of 120 countries surveyed in terms of availability, determined by quality and breadth of available infrastructure.1 In February 2020, the Defense Ministry reported that some sensitive information may have been leaked as the result of the Mitsubishi breach.8 Increasingly, however, if we want to find direct government censorship of speech, we don't have to travel far. In Japan it is now against the law to be mean on the internet. A Change.org petition calling for Mori's resignation garnered more than 145,000 signatures in one week. While users have a choice of providers for internet services, certain companies dominate the market. Under the criminal procedure code, however, investigators can order a person to decrypt an encrypted electronic record.2, Increased concerns over harassment, intimidation, and slander during the previous coverage period led members of the ruling LDP to meet with experts to discuss the possibility of deanonymizing the accounts of those who engage in such behavior online. In 2017, the UNs special rapporteur for freedom of expression criticized the kisha club system.3 Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users right to privacy? Some private companies occasionally accept the governments requests to remove content. Art censorship in Hong Kong is "very much real," an expert said after the city's much-anticipated art gallery opened recently without showcasing some expected artworks by a Chinese dissident. Blogs have a significant impact on public opinion, and several independent journalists are becoming influential through personal or commercial websites and social media accounts. : spring pictures) that are banned in present-day Japan and were printed and published in the USA. But in the eyes of . According to a survey conducted by international security firm CrowdStrike, a little more than half of the 200 largest Japanese companies, including Honda, Canon, Citizen Watch and Asunaro Aoki Construction, have been hit by ransomware cyberattacks, and 33 companies have paid an average of 123 million ($1.12 million) to criminal networks to prevent their password-protected data from leaks. Experts are concerned that the new policies to streamline data handling between the local and central governments will dilute personal information protections previously established by local governments and may enable increased government surveillance.11 However, recent developments in Japan have raised serious concerns about increased surveillance, including reports of opaque surveillance operations and the approval of a conspiracy law that may allow police to seek wiretap warrants in a wider range of circumstances. Japan's parliament enacted the proposed revised copyright law on Friday to expand the law to punish those who knowingly download illegally uploaded or pirated manga, magazines, and academic works . Acknowledging that "one might think this is simply conjecture by the ACE Economic Research Center," Yasuda then cited five specific Western-oriented changes he believed were instrumental in contributing to the brand's slow march towards self-destruction: 1. Service providers protect themselves from civil liability by adhering to voluntary guidelines on takedown requests.8 For this article, we consider these bodies to be government entities. 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 Though exceptional, such incidents still exert a chilling effect on Japanese online expression. In July 2020, lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party urged the government to restrict the use of TikTok over concerns that Chinese officials might be able to access sensitive user data via the app.1 Many experts have indicated their concern about ambiguous components of the law that could be abused. Individuals can be sentenced to up to three years in prison or fines of up to 500,000 ($4,534). Kisha clubs and an advertising market that favors established players may be preventing digital media from gaining a stronger foothold in the market. One thing that's quickly noticeable is how Japanese adult videos are censored. The book also examines the conflict between the obscenity law, introduced in Meiji times when Japan was importing Western models, and the freedom of speech law, which was put in place by the US occupation administration after World War II. Former President Donald Trump late last year signed a law that requires US-listed companies to be held to American auditing standards and establish they are not owned or controlled by a foreign. A new law makes "online insults" punishable with jail time! Happily, if history is a guide, this accelerating spread of censorship will. Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 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. 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 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 politicians who violate the existing restrictions face a potential fine of 300,000 ($2,720) or one year in prison; imprisonment would strip perpetrators of their right to vote or run for office. Article 21 of Japans constitution prohibits censorship and protects freedom of speech, press, and all other forms of expression, as well as the secrecy of any means of communication.1 No citizens faced politically motivated arrest or prosecution for their online activity during the coverage period. Critics say the law does not prevent the systematic storage of intercepted communications or protect innocent parties.10 One book is by Hokusai and the other is by Utamaro.8 An American scholar of Japanese descent 43 In 2002, industry associations produced guidelines designed to protect ISPs from legal liability within the jurisdiction of the Japanese courts. alerts & publications Amended Japan Privacy Law Will Come into Effect in April 2022 November 16, 2021 Tokyo was O'Melveny's first international expansion destination, and we have offered robust Japan related Corporate and Dispute Resolution services for our clients for more than 30 years. The government has also invested heavily in Wi-Fi networks in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were postponed and held in August 2021.5 While these provisions were contested, and revisions are still planned,9 Osakas ordinance authorized the public identification of groups that disseminate hate speech, defined as communication which defames and aims to exclude a particular group based on race or ethnicity, including through online transmission, according to news reports.16 The individuals defense team plans to file an appeal.8. Courts have continued to consider lawsuits from individuals requesting that search engines delink inaccurate or irrelevant material about them from public results, but the Supreme Court has laid down important guidance that set limits on such right to be forgotten removals.1 Other laws regulate online activity but are not known to have resulted in abuse or disproportionate penalties. 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. 22 of 2021 on Environmental Protection and Management ("GR No.22/2021"). While the government is relatively transparent in its censorship decisions, previous blocking and efforts to give authorities more censorship power have raised concerns. Between July and December 2020, Facebook restricted access to one piece of content in response to an order from Brazils Supreme Court related to pages that supported Brazilian President Bolsanaro.5 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. In 2016, the IHC began providing reports to Safe-line, a website maintained by the SIA.17 Amendments passed by the Diet in 2015 defined personal information in more specific terms as biometric information and numeric data that is capable of identifying a specific individual.5 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 move raised serious concerns over whether blocking was constitutionally allowed, and the government later indicated that it would introduce legislation to broaden its blocking authority (see B3). The platform provided data in 42 percent of cases.17. Japan's laws on censorship have become a more frequent topic of discussion among anime fans in the past few months. No third party can do so. In February 2020, data communication was unavailable for a few hours for mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Mineo customers.9 In April 2018, the government asked internet service providers (ISPs) to block manga piracy sites, including Mangamura, AniTube!, and MioMio, prompting a public debate that highlighted tensions between the protection of intellectual property on one hand and users rights to private communications and the constitutional ban on censorship on the other.2 Under voluntary guidelines drafted by four ISPs in 2005, service providers automatically inform police of internet users identified on websites that endorse suicide, and comply with law enforcement requests for information related to acts of self-harm.13 Connectivity for households in the heavily populated Kant region, which includes Tokyo, costs nearly 1,300 ($12.49) more per month than in the least expensive regions, Tohokuin the northeast.3 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. Individuals and public figures who break this social convention risk censure and even attacks from right-wing extremists, who notoriously attempted to assassinate the mayor of Nagasaki on these grounds in 1990. 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 See all data, scores & information on this country or territory. Taniwaki, who had been instrumental in the governments policies on mobile phone prices, was quickly transferred to another position.7, In March 2021, the Cabinet approved Shunichi Tokura, the former chairman of the Japan Music Rights Association (JASRAC), as Commissioner for Cultural Affairs. These included interactive maps to share public information about disaster relief,1 In January 2021, the revised Copyright Act, which criminalizes the downloading of unlicensed manga, magazines, and academic publications, took effect. Edit: is it true CERO does not need to look at PC games? COVID-19 patients and individuals who allegedly tested positive for the virus also faced harassment on social media.2. The amendments are set to come into effect in 2022.1, In May 2021, the government launched an investigation into the data management polices of LINE, a messaging application with servers based in Japan, after a report revealed that Chinese engineers had accessed LINEs data without the companys knowledge. According to a summary by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), since 2014, there have been fewer severe outages - specifically three to eight per year- compared to the previous decade.8 Washington, DC 20036, Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). Today, however, this concept is, in our view, distorted and fought against. This year, China's National Film Board tightened regulations on foreign films requiring that they now undergo a second round of reviews by the Chinese Communist Party. Censorship has followed the free expression of men and women like a shadow throughout history. Some companies report on data requests they receive from government agencies. Some observers said this was an attempt to control public discourse, though deletions were not widespread. The laws authors struggled to balance restrictions on racial and ethnic slurs with freedom of expression guarantees in the constitution.5 At the same time, the actions depicted onscreen, and the wider themes of the story, are entirely free of any restrictions. Political rights and civil liberties are generally well respected. Historically, Japans internet connections were forged through cooperation among government agencies (including then government-owned NTT), universities, and national research institutions.2. An online petition that received 145,000 signatures called for the resignation of the chairman of the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Yoshiro Mori, after he made sexist comments. Major mobile service providers require customers to present identification documents in order to subscribe. Those who violate the revised law face up to two years imprisonment, a 2 million ($18,138) fine, or both. The man originally argued that he was defamed by false information.15, The Internet Hotline Center (IHC), operated through the SIA as part of a contract with the National Police Agency (NPA), cooperates with ISPs to solicit reports of illegal or harmful content from the public.16 The law is scheduled to take effect by the end of 2022. Japanese residents exercise some self-censorship online, often on historical and social issues. 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