As an American working in Japan for some seven years now I must point out that your statement appears to be rather a trenchant one. Although I arrived here and soon acquired the means to access the internet, I just as quickly began to discover that acceptable social conduct here is more than quite a bit different from that which would be deemed acceptable in the United States. The mask that is referred to in both the article and in your post is used (in this particular case) to cover the genital areas of pornographic material in order to make an image comply with Japanese law. This mask is also an ubiquitous fixture of all Japanese media. For example, it is illegal to show a handcuffed suspect on any Japanese news media so the mask always appears over their hands if such coverage is included in the evening news. Clearly, the development of a program that eliminates this mask accompanied with a link to a site where the program may be tested is a blatant violation of both the spirit and intent of the Japanese laws governing the use of the mask. Although I believe that informed and educated adults should have the freedom to surf where they desire in the privacy of their homes within somewhat reasonable limits (I have a child),/. readers should keep in mind that Japan is a democracy and a country where social consensus has a far greater resonance with the average citizen than is typical for a community in the United States. While this ruling has the potential to be abused (and there are no dearth of those here or in the U.S. for that matter), it is quite likely that cooler heads will prevail and its application in other cases will largely devolve into an assessment of intent. I find it doubtful that the Japanese will attempt or even consider a sweeping application of this ruling against search engines and/or sites that happen to link to others where illegal material happens to be either de facto or de jure posted. There is, after all, a difference between linking to a site that (with or without your knowledge) posts information on how to build a weapon, and linking to that same site while posting information on how to acquire the materials necessary to the act on your own site. Japan has been, and to a great degree still remains, a fairly close and guarded society. Although the younger generations seem to exhibit a growing desire for greater freedom of expression and association, they are still likely to focus their energies in these respects in socially acceptable ways. Change is inexorable in any society but the wheel turns a little more slowly here.
Slashdot Mirror
As an American working in Japan for some seven years now I must point out that your statement appears to be rather a trenchant one. Although I arrived here and soon acquired the means to access the internet, I just as quickly began to discover that acceptable social conduct here is more than quite a bit different from that which would be deemed acceptable in the United States. The mask that is referred to in both the article and in your post is used (in this particular case) to cover the genital areas of pornographic material in order to make an image comply with Japanese law. This mask is also an ubiquitous fixture of all Japanese media. For example, it is illegal to show a handcuffed suspect on any Japanese news media so the mask always appears over their hands if such coverage is included in the evening news. Clearly, the development of a program that eliminates this mask accompanied with a link to a site where the program may be tested is a blatant violation of both the spirit and intent of the Japanese laws governing the use of the mask. Although I believe that informed and educated adults should have the freedom to surf where they desire in the privacy of their homes within somewhat reasonable limits (I have a child), /. readers should keep in mind that Japan is a democracy and a country where social consensus has a far greater resonance with the average citizen than is typical for a community in the United States. While this ruling has the potential to be abused (and there are no dearth of those here or in the U.S. for that matter), it is quite likely that cooler heads will prevail and its application in other cases will largely devolve into an assessment of intent. I find it doubtful that the Japanese will attempt or even consider a sweeping application of this ruling against search engines and/or sites that happen to link to others where illegal material happens to be either de facto or de jure posted. There is, after all, a difference between linking to a site that (with or without your knowledge) posts information on how to build a weapon, and linking to that same site while posting information on how to acquire the materials necessary to the act on your own site. Japan has been, and to a great degree still remains, a fairly close and guarded society. Although the younger generations seem to exhibit a growing desire for greater freedom of expression and association, they are still likely to focus their energies in these respects in socially acceptable ways. Change is inexorable in any society but the wheel turns a little more slowly here.