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. During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical personnel were also targets for harassment on social media. 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. 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. 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. At the end of the coverage period, the government had not taken steps to restrict use of the platform. Individuals who have criticized the ruling LDP and the government have also faced targeted harassment. Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? In a 2017 report, the United Nations (UNs) special rapporteur on freedom of expression noted that there were significant worrying signals regarding self-censorship among journalists on issues such as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.1 Police can request these details, along with usage logs, if they detect illegal online activity. You will go to prison. 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. In response, hashtags such as Tokyo Shimbun reporter restricted from asking questions, toward a country where we can freely ask questions, and we have the right to know trended on Twitter.9 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. Though exceptional, such incidents still exert a chilling effect on Japanese online expression. While the government is relatively transparent in its censorship decisions, previous blocking and efforts to give authorities more censorship power have raised concerns. A Myanmar citizen has filed a complaint at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority against Telenor Group under Article 77(1) of the European Union . No third party can do so. In February 2020, the Defense Ministry reported that some sensitive information may have been leaked as the result of the Mitsubishi breach.8 The bill allows users to download image-based material or certain forms of academic content that is meant for private use.6 It was not clear how much of the monitoring involved digital as opposed to physical surveillance.14. Major mobile service providers require customers to present identification documents in order to subscribe. The city has considered measures to deal with online hate speech, but did not implement a specific ordinance to address this activity. 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. The panel allegedly suspended its efforts to draft the legislation in October 2018 after failing to reach consensus on whether the blocking would violate the constitutional right to secrecy of communications.5, ISPs voluntarily filter child sexual abuse images, and many offer parents the option to filter certain other content to protect young internet users.6 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 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. However, several cases of online harassment were documented during the coverage period. Some observers said this was an attempt to control public discourse, though deletions were not widespread. In a 2008 report by the UN Human Rights Committee, they expressed concern about discrimination against LGBT people in several areas, including housing. Kisha clubs include reporters covering institutions such as government ministries or major corporations but are only open to traditional media companies.1 The Act on Prevention of Improper Use of Mobile Phones (2005) requires mobile voice communication carriers to verify the identity of subscribers when a contract was terminated or transferred, in order to prevent a situation in which cell phone subscribers cannot be identified. Rakuten Mobile partnered with electronics firm NEC to launch 5G services, originally planned for June 2020. 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 In May 2019, it was revealed that the national government and Fukushima Prefecture paid over 24 billion ($217 million) to an advertising agency to manage public relations, including in online outlets, after the disaster.6. 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. 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. Reasons vary from keeping inappropriate material out of reach to trying to stop protests and other public demonstrations from being organized. According to Article 23(1) of Japan's Public Housing Law, it only applies to married and unmarried different-sex couples. A 2014 law addressed the issue of content removal and intimate images shared without consent (see B2 and C2). YouTubers and Instagram personalities have also become increasingly influential in recent years. 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 the change was expected to allow tourists who were supposed to visit Japan during the 2020 Summer Olympics to more easily access mobile services.10. 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. At the same time, the actions depicted onscreen, and the wider themes of the story, are entirely free of any restrictions. 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 Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? COVID-19 patients and individuals who allegedly tested positive for the virus also faced harassment on social media.2. 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). In May 2020, many celebrities voiced their opposition to a draft bill that would allow the government to delay the retirement of senior prosecutors, arguing that the bill undermined the constitutional separation of powers.3 Social Media Platforms; Prohibiting a social media platform from willfully deplatforming a candidate; providing requirements for public contracts and economic incentives related to entities that have been convicted or held civilly liable for antitrust violations; providing that social media platforms that fail to comply with specified 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. There are few obstacles to internet access, no blocks on websites, and the legal framework provides strong protections for various forms of expression. The laws authors struggled to balance restrictions on racial and ethnic slurs with freedom of expression guarantees in the constitution.5 Censorship of pornography in Japan, be it animated, photographed or filmed, has always been superficial, focusing on blocking out or blurring the sex organs. Donald Trump's claim that his anti-BDS order "targets antisemitism" was presented as fact in the New York Times headline ( 12/10/19 . 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. Offenders can face prison sentences of up to three years or fines as large as 500,000 ($4,534), and third-party distribution can draw up to a years imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 ($2,720).14 One thing that's quickly noticeable is how Japanese adult videos are censored. In November 2020, Capcom, a prominent video game company, reported that it paid a 1.1 billion ($9.9 million) ransom in exchange for the recovery of stolen materials.11 In February 2019, the NICT, under the MIC, launched the NOTICE program,4 and the online organization of large demonstrations and protests against nuclear energy. And in Japan, case law precedent offers non . Under that law, providers must comply with takedown requests within two days.8, The threat of official content restrictions looms periodically during public debates about child safety, though carriers and content producers have successfully resisted intrusive regulation. 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 It is unclear whether and to what extent domestic users have been caught up in the program. Political rights and civil liberties are generally well respected. Following her death, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications announced her intention to amend the Provider Liability Limitation Law (see C4).5 Mosaic destruction. The telecommunications, internet, and broadcast sectors are regulated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) rather than an independent commission. Genshin Impact quietly announced a somewhat odd change right before patch 2.4 launched this week. The origin of the term "censor" is traced to the office of censor created in ancient Rome, around 443 BC. Many people lost service for days or weeks, and mobile phone usage dropped by almost half in the affected areas.10. Masayuki Nakamoto, 43, was said to have made about 11 million yen ($96,000) from peddling over 10,000 processed porn clips, and was formally accused of selling ten hardcore photos for 2,300 yen ($20). Increasingly, however, if we want to find direct government censorship of speech, we don't have to travel far. However, some digital activities require separate registration. In a 2015 lawsuit, the Tokyo High Court ordered Yahoo Japan to delete 11 search results that linked a mans name to criminal behavior. The amendments expanded the scope of personal data and eliminated restrictions on the laws extraterritorial applications. In addition, some online news outlets struggle to sustain themselves financially. The Tokyo-based Safer Internet Association (SIA) reported that it was asked to manage over 7,276 cases of nonconsensual sharing of intimate images in 2019 and secured the deletion of the content in 6,771 (93 percent) of those cases.2, Previously, inflammatory, nationalist speech targeting Japanese residents of Korean origin and other minority groups was also subject to removal. The future being, oh, around the year. Other laws regulate online activity but are not known to have resulted in abuse or disproportionate penalties. Access is well distributed across the population, though access is less common among the elderly.4 Censorship in Japan has taken many forms throughout the history of the country. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed almost continuously since 1955, with stints in opposition from 1993 to 1994 and 2009 to 2012. March 23, 2021, 2:30 PM Japan granted asylum to less than 1 percent of refugees and asylum-seekers who applied in 2019, despite having the third-largest economy in the world. Once the SIA receives a report, it will either file a police report or make a request for removal to the relevant domestic or overseas provider.18. Japanese courts continue to uphold strict criteria for delisting search results on major platforms. 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. Dropped by almost half in the affected areas.10 in the affected areas.10 on social media.2 affected.. And eliminated restrictions on the laws extraterritorial applications taken steps to restrict use of the coverage,! Onscreen, and mobile phone usage dropped by almost half in the affected areas.10 mobile with. 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