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Tokyo's Revised Youth Ordinance Amendment Bill Posted

Takashi Yamaguchi, a lawyer who opposed the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's bill to restrict manga, anime, and games with sexual and "anti-social" depictions of children earlier this year, has posted the revised version of the bill that the government plans to submit at the end of this month. Later on Monday, the "nonexistent freelance writer Taniwake" and a Twitter user named "beni-uo" highlighted the differences in the revised text.

The proposed bill would amend the existing Youth Healthy Development Ordinance, which already prevents the sale and renting of "harmful publications" to people under the age of 18. The current ordinance defines harmful publications as materials that are "sexually stimulating, encourages cruelty, and/or may compel suicide or criminal behavior.”

The proposed bill would require the industry to also self-regulate the sale and renting of "manga, anime, and other images (except for real-life photography)" that "unjustifiably glorify or emphasize" certain sexual or pseudo sexual acts. The revised bill will specifically target depictions of "sexual or pseudo sexual acts that would be illegal in real life, or sexual or pseudo sexual acts between close relatives whose marriage would be illegal" and therefore be "detrimental toward the healthy development of youth."

Another section of the revised bill would allow the government to directly restrict the sale and renting of the above images if the depicted acts are also "considered to be excessively disrupting of social order" such as rape.

The revised bill no longer uses the controversially vague term "nonexistent youth" as the original version did before its rejection by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in June. Instead, the proposed restrictions applies to all characters, regardless of their perceived age. The proposed bill specifically includes "manga, anime, and other images" but excludes photography and live-action materials. It also includes materials that are not necessarily "sexually stimulating" as the current Youth Healthy Development Ordinance states.

Thanks to Dan Kanemitsu for the translations.

Source: ITmedia News, Internet Watch