Forum - View topicNEWS: Voice Actor Norio Imamura Arrested for Indecent Pictures
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ArsenicSteel
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Wow a student that is unable to do a simple search on the internet. Pretty bad. Some reasons: http://www.japanprobe.com/2006/01/31/why-is-japanese-porn-censored/ Some arrests: http://current.com/1qg3m4c So again their laws making no sense to you doesn't matter since you do not any stake in their society. Whether or not the law changes is up to the Diet and the Japanese society. Until then this is just another case of cultural differences. If you took a Sociology class in college you should be aware of ethnocentrism. It is something your instructor should have informed you about as to limit biases and judgments when learning about other cultures. Register for the class again since that key point eluded you. |
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mdo7
 Posts: 6270 Location: Katy, Texas, USA |
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I got a B in my sociology class FYI. Still I find the Japan porn censorship law stupid just as much I find some state law stupid (some of them are stupider then people without common sense). What's the point of making porn if you're going to censor it?
So they allowed a educational video to show the private part uncensored but pornography/hentai are still censored. Do I think this is double standard? Yes it is, if genitals in hentai and pornography are going be censored, why not censored picture of genital in Anatomy & Physiology textbook, sex ed textbook, and other education relating to genital. This is one reason I find Japan "censored porn" law just stupid. |
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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They don't make porn to censor it. They make porn and have to BY LAW censor it. If a domestic law seems "stupid" to you take actions to get it changed. However you have no stake, claim, right, or voice to address The Diet on this law. The point of censoring porn in Japan is to be able to legally make and profit from it.
Stop acting stupid. That is about Educational purposes. When these is a National Geographic show about some human tribe there is no censor of exposed body parts even if the show is on public TV here. If the textbooks or educational materials were censored when it comes to genitala it would make for some pretty horrendous Gynaecologist and Proctologists. Not censoring educational materials but censoring porn is not a double standard as each clearly have different intents and purposes. Censoring porn is where that government has drawn the line on what can be seen in legal porn. It is no stupider than America's regulation on not showing penetration in porn that is available on pay per view channels. |
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jsyxx
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Having to hide behind "you're not sensitive enough to other cultures" is an extremely weak and tired defense. For example, using you're standards, we shouldn't criticize the laws that say homosexuals should be executed because we don't live in those societies. Get a new play book to defend Japan. Its an extremely weak blanket defense to decry others for being ethnocentric. Not everyone who lives in Japan agrees with these stupid laws either. Convicting adults for including a penis in pornography aimed at adults is absolutely moronic no matter what standard you use or what culture you live in. I know enough about Japanese society to understand that law is stupid. In fact, I believe this particular law is westernized in origin and originates from the point where Japan was under the control of the United States. So this defense is even more laughable to me. We may as well be talking about the US 1950's laws against pornography, becuase they have the same cultural origins. It's culturally insensitive to disallow the wearing of head scarves, its not culturally insensitive to criticize a government for ruining a man's life because he took an artistic photograph of his ass cheeks. If you're trying to come at this from an enlightened, liberal point of view, you are failing hard. |
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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I am only commenting in regards to calling censorship of porn in Japan "stupid" and "That is one law I never understand why they made that for. " Bringing up the notion that a poster is effected by ethnocentric views is not a weak stance nor is it a defense.
Constantly calling the moral choices of a country "stupid" even in light of historical and cultural reasoning is pretty ethnocentric. Don't put me on a slope trying to make it seem as if I am condoning every law that exists in every country. The topic is censorship in Japan. If there is something wrong with the law then attempt to change the laws by proving they are unjust, wrong, or no longer applicable in this day and age for that society. Tossing out terms like stupid or moronic does not prove a law wrong. It just proves that the person using those terms as the sole argument is incapable of making a substantial case. This Japanese citizen put uncensored pictures of his anus on his Japanese blog. So he might be convicted of a crime. It is possible that his lawyer will set a precedent and get the censorship law repealed or changed to accommodate more rights for citizens interested in naturalistic/artistic depictions of the human body. Even then posting an anus on an arbitrary blog is questionable and may still be a violation of indecency laws. If the censorship laws in Japan are comparable to the type of laws America had popping up in the 1950s then have the society raise the issue. But don't try to infer that because the 1950 censorship laws were unjust that the current censorship laws in Japan are also unjust or wrong. That is arrogant. It ignores the social values that the Japanese government are concerned with and places American values as the superior. |
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mdo7
Posts: 6270 Location: Katy, Texas, USA |
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J-Syxx, thanks for sticking up for me  . Can I ask you a question, are any of my argument I said on there correct or do you see some flaw in my point? Anyway I agree with what you said. I did remember reading in the article that Japan's pornography censorship law has western origin into it. That's why I do considered Japan's pornography law very stupid.
If there is a law to censor porn then the porn industry in Japan would've already cease to exist but they kept going even with the censorship even though they probably hate this law because to them it violate freedom of expression, and if they were thinking like me: "What's the point of making porn if it's going to get censored". I would like to repeal some stupid law but I just don't have the time as I'm very busy. But I would support the people that want some of our stupid laws overthrown like that Virginia law where it's illegal to tickle a women.
Then that's double standard also if they allowed to show nudity on educational show. Showing nudity on educational show is very much like showing nudity on non-educational show. If you say they are not, then there's something wrong with you. So the "Not censoring educational materials but censoring porn" is not a double standard. So tell me what is double standard? So according to your logic, these are not double standard. -A politicians who complain about violent video game will corrupt the children, but say it's OK for children to watch other violent entertainment like what's happening in California. -some hypocrite Feminist group complain about how men reading magazine full of hot girls yet these same feminist group read magazine full of hot guys with no shirt on. -Canada's double standard for dual citizens -PETA yap about how people treat animal in bad manner and yet they been accused of euthanizing animal.
American regulation on not showing penetration I would considered that as double standard also. Geez, hardcore and softcore pornography although a bit different but they still carry a 18+ rating. So what's the point of not showing hardcore pornography on Pay-Per View when both hardcore and softcore pornography are both rated 18+. If both softcore and hardcore pornography are both rated 18+ why not show both of them on Pay-Per View. This is why I find some law and regulation stupid because some of them don't make sense and sometime pull double standard. |
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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Then do something about your laws by contacting your congressman and/or getting a group that support your cause. You will need to provide reason as to why what you want changed is needed, saying it is stupid will not suffice as an argument or fact.
There are tons of legalities regarding nudity. You apparently need to read them if you are unable to see the functional difference between a National Geographic expose on the Himba of Nambia and a Hustler expose on the girls of facebook. As for your other nonsensical tangents. I have no idea what is "OK" or not "OK" in your little game of conjecture, accusations and red herrings. You constantly asking "What's the point" of such and such is about as repetitive as a kid asking why, even after getting a proper answer. There is no end because you and the child are unable to understand( MAYBE in your case accept) the explanation. |
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jsyxx
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The term stupid refers to the fact that it is completely illogical and unfair. No, not everyone else has to speak in other terms to give off an aire of pretentiousness that is completely unjustified as you do. And equating actions of a foreign government to something that can't be criticized on the basis of multi-culturalism is honestly a very simpled minded and honestly frightening way to view the world. First, it equates the culture equal to the government which is absolutely ludicrous. Is it also wrong to critisize totalatarian regimes on the basis we do not live under them? In other examples, the law may not even have a bassis in the culture. It may simply be there for completely political reasons. Either way, there is nothing wrong with condemning government over reach, especially when it penalizes people who have no place in jail. |
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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Here is me quoting me in response to your second paragraph:
So you understand the term stupid to mean illogical and unfair then explain what is unfair and illogical about implementing an indecency law that limits a person from posting their anus in a public forum. If I was a fan of this man or tattoos does it logically follow that I would want or expect to see his anus? This man wanted to display his full body tattoos on his public blog. How is it unfair for him to have to censor his anus since it takes up a minuscule area of the tattoo? One pic I have seen is even questionable under the American indecency laws. So posting that in Japan where the law is very specific about what can and cannot be seen is a serious lapse in judgment. |
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configspace
Posts: 3717 |
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But the irony is that laws were forcefully brought about, just like many other laws in the world, and in this case, also from western influence and pressure during the Meiji restoration. Japanese law was formed then, modeled after Europe's. That was when article 175 introduced criminal indecency laws (1907), providing the censorship we have today. Notice that classical erotic artwork, most of which are very explicit had no such censorship. http://www.japanprobe.com/2006/01/31/why-is-japanese-porn-censored/
And when it comes down to it, there's no universal right to anything really. Think about it, not water, food or shelter. In fact, it's the tendency to use those ideas "about morals and indecency" to define what those rights are that leads to a lot of conflict. (Look at prohibition in the US and how well that turned out; likewise with our failed "drug wars" where it used to be all legal with none of the criminal activity ironically). Criminal laws should ideally, be purely based on ethics and reason. This way you actually do produce a set of "universal" rights and non-oppressive laws, applicable to everyone, regardless of moral views.
So how fair is it to make it a crime and arrest him when it doesn't injure anyone and is not forcing anyone to view his pictures?
No, there's no way it would ever be even "questionable", especially through a private medium in which the audience voluntarily uses. American indecency laws only applies to public exposure (this is different from obscenity laws). edit:
History has shown that laws are never, ever changed bottom up without: overwhelming, agitated, public support; or a revolution. Without any of that laws remain as they are without high level political drive to change them. Only occasionally, we see them change for the better, most of the time for the worse, and no amount of "writing your congressman" will do anything to change that, especially if your neighbors think otherwise. |
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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What private medium? If you are talking the internet. It is not a private medium, it is open. Private and public forms exist. Without going into the debate of public blogs v private blogs, I am just going by the ANN article that states this blog is a public one.
This blog is open to the public, OP fans, tattoo fans, friends, and the like. Of the groups that freely access his blog few would expect to see his genitalia. Also the Communications Decency Act has added provisions to account for the internet. |
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jsyxx
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So you just admitted in certain circumstances its competely fine to criticize other governments despite "cultural differences." I don't have to say much more, becuase I'm sure plenty of other people will walk right through this giant, gaping hole in your argument. But to expand a bit, one of the greatest human rights is not being imprisoned. Being imprisoned for something like posting a non-obscene photo of someone's ass on a blog (which is completely legal in the US despite your complete misunderstanding of the law) is not something anyone should be seriously punished for. If you want to advocate harsh punishments for victimless non-crimes, that's up to you though. I don't think repeating the word anus again repeatedly will win anyone over to your argument though. 
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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I am wondering if this actually has more to do with the fact that they were also tattoos. It is common for yakuza (crime organizations) members to have large parts of their bodies tattooed. Yakuza is one of those things that Japan tries very hard to suppress. Kind of like how Germany takes strides to erase the association between itself and the Nazi groups that defined Germany during the World Wars. So while it may be far fetched to arrest someone for showing off his tattoos, the fact that the images revealed his private areas justified the charge under indecency clauses. It doesn't mean that Imamura-san was connected with yakuza, but because tattoos are imagery associated with the negative impression people have of yakuza, this gave way to the VA getting in trouble for his poor choice of internet voyeurism.
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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I said universal human rights are a different issue and not criticism of individual cultures. Your examples are cases where universal human rights have either been violated or are in the process of being questioned.
The scope I am talking about is domestic law which does not violate universal human rights at all.
That is the part about imprisonment but that hangs on the word arbitrary. Once an individual commits a criminal act or is reasonably suspected of a crime that person can then be arrested, detained, or questioned in accordance with the law. I didn't say the pic of his anus would lead to his arrest if posted in America. I said that the pic is even questionable under the American indecency laws. I am not referring to the pic of his ass and back. I am talking about the pic where he spreads his ass cheeks to displays the ink around his butthole. 
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calimike
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