Thread: Japanese Censorship laws

As far as I know there are no standardized television censorship standards and a majority of print-censorship is becoming so lax as to be non-existant. The trouble is, any censorship laws that do exist are archaic and unenforced.

A majority of doujinshi is now so negligently censored as to be unintentionally hilarious (pin-prick totally transparent dots covering full-page vaginas, etc)

The entire decency thing is rather unspoken. If someone attracts attention: they get in trouble (like DJ Ozma's nude body suits on Kohaku Uta-gassen) but if you can keep a low enough profile, chances are no one will rat you out.

Uttering one the ONLY actual obscenity in the Japanese language on air is probably a crap idea... but negligently censoring your 200 copies only fancomic about the 8 year-old schoolgirl with an improbably huge tool is probably just fine.

i really hate the censorship laws over japan
to me some stuff should not be censor

Its better than america were they can't say barly any cuss words or barelly any nudity unless its on HBO and thats barelly anything. I hate americas censorship barelly any nudity in the game games.
P.S.
Are JP T.V. shows allowed to have nudity

Originally Posted by Redragon495

Its better than america were they can't say barly any cuss words or barelly any nudity unless its on HBO and thats barelly anything. I hate americas censorship barelly any nudity in the game games.
P.S.
Are JP T.V. shows allowed to have nudity

It depends. Non-detailed nudity, bare-butts, etc. are alright. I believe the channels regulate content themselves, rather than some government stadard. But even public television stations will show bare butts, bathing and full-frontal little-boy junk (Crayon Shinchan anyone?)

The Japanese do not like to "rock the boat"... so if something is likely to be considered tasteless or extreme: it generally doesn't get airtime. But the Japanese are quite a bit less uptight about nudity and bodily functions than people in the West: so some things we might consider shocking or in poor taste are perfectly fine.

Originally Posted by tsurara

It depends. Non-detailed nudity, bare-butts, etc. are alright. I believe the channels regulate content themselves, rather than some government stadard. But even public television stations will show bare butts, bathing and full-frontal little-boy junk (Crayon Shinchan anyone?)

The Japanese do not like to "rock the boat"... so if something is likely to be considered tasteless or extreme: it generally doesn't get airtime. But the Japanese are quite a bit less uptight about nudity and bodily functions than people in the West: so some things we might consider shocking or in poor taste are perfectly fine.

I really don't see how it could be so shocking in the west I mean its just nudity and cuss words. A cuss word is just a word and who hasn't seen someone naked its just some angry mom complaing and then sueing the company or something like that, but really why is it so shocking

Thank you tsuara. But I'm also wondering about what can you say on television. For example is "KISAMA" allowed on public television. I also remember an inane television show where a girl said "UNKO" and it was bleeped out.

Grumble Grumble Grumble

There is a over the air broadcast standard that is maintained by the Japanese government. A significant change was made in the law, such that the AIC Studio series De:Vadasy (a EVA inspired psychological drama) was originally rated all audience, but after the law change was re-rated as Mature Audience only

De:vadasy (OAV) - Anime News Network

Though the law appears to apply only to over the air broadcasts, and doesn't apply to Premium Satellite/Cable (WoWow) releases. There has also been TV releases that have either had their last episodes released as a OVA to avoid censorship laws (e.g. 'Excel Saga') or have had significant censoring in the TV broadcast version (e.g. the excessive bathhouse fog of 'Girls Bravo')

It appears the broadcast standards apply mostly to sexual expression. (Notice that there is no hint of sex in 'Golden Time' series such as 'Bleach' and 'Naruto') and not as much towards blood and gore...