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Magazine: Tokyo MX TV Affected by Youth Ordinance Bill (Update 2)
posted on by Egan Loo
On Monday, the February 12th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Gendai magazine published an article that discussed the disruption that the recently passed amendment to Tokyo's Youth Healthy Development Ordinance may cause to the Tokyo MX TV station's future plans. According to the magazine's unnamed source in the station's management, "There is a possibility that we will self-regulate the broadcast of explicit anime" because of the station's deep ties with the government. The source specifically cited the number of late-night anime that have panty shots and other kinds of risque depictions on Tokyo MX.
Weekly Gendai's source at Tokyo MX added, "We are popular among students as a station known for its strong presence of anime," but the station may have to reconsider hiring anime fans among new graduates. For example, the job application sheet may have the question, "If you were to take a foreign friend sightseeing in Japan, where would you take him or her? If the student were to write "Akihabara," the station might ask him or her to leave the application process.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government passed an amendment to the city's Youth Healthy Development Ordinance last month. The amendment would expand the number of manga and anime that fall under "harmful publications," the legal category of works that must not be sold or rented to people under the age of 18.
Update: Tokyo MX's blog for new graduates stated that Weekly Gendai's article is not true. It asked job applicants to submit their entries without any worries. Thanks, bayoab.
Update 2: On Tuesday, Tokyo MX's Twitter account completely denied that it will self-regulate late-night anime and states that its focus on anime has not changed. [Via Hachima Kikō]
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history