In January 2021, the three major mobile phone companies launched new low-cost plans, after decades of pressure from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.3 In recent years, content removals have focused on hate speech and illegal content, including child sexual abuse images and intimate images shared without the subjects consent. In March 2020, the government approved a revision of the Copyright Act, making it illegal to download manga, magazines, and academic publications, in addition to music and videos including in the previous version, without the copyright holders permission. Connectivity for households in the heavily populated Kant region, which includes Tokyo, costs nearly 1,300 ($12.49) more per month than in the least expensive regions, Tohokuin the northeast.3 Kisha clubs include reporters covering institutions such as government ministries or major corporations but are only open to traditional media companies.1 However, harassment and intimidation, particularly against women and individuals with at least one Black parent, persist. Finally, the amendments established the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) as an independent authority under the Cabinet Office, replacing the Consumer Affairs Agency.8, Changes to the legal frameworks surrounding privacy and surveillance are often considered in the ongoing digitization of citizens personal records. Under voluntary guidelines drafted by four ISPs in 2005, service providers automatically inform police of internet users identified on websites that endorse suicide, and comply with law enforcement requests for information related to acts of self-harm.13 There is also a degree of self-censorship concerning human rights problems, in some cases linked to instances of apparent political pressure.2, Progovernment online commentators are prevalent across Japan. Every country has, at one time or another, been guilty of grievous acts of censorship. This year, China's National Film Board tightened regulations on foreign films requiring that they now undergo a second round of reviews by the Chinese Communist Party. Japan's parliament enacted the proposed revised copyright law on Friday to expand the law to punish those who knowingly download illegally uploaded or pirated manga, magazines, and academic works . Amendments passed by the Diet in 2015 defined personal information in more specific terms as biometric information and numeric data that is capable of identifying a specific individual.5 The future of an independent NHK is crucial given the increasing demand for impartial, objective and trusted sources of information. For example, the Jiminto (LDP) Net Supporters Club (J-NSC), organized in 2010, had about 19,000 members as of 2017. The judge also ordered the confiscation of approximately 62 million ($562,290) that Hoshino had hidden in overseas bank accounts. Japans telecommunications infrastructure is advanced, and there have been no reports of the government deliberately disconnecting telecommunications service. One thing that's quickly noticeable is how Japanese adult videos are censored. GR No. In May 2021, the NICT released a summary of NOTICE-related activities, disclosing that it attempted to access 112 million IP addresses, and that the NOTICE alert detected 1,817 targets and notified service providers.6, The conspiracy law passed in 2017 raised the possibility of more government surveillance. The China . Under the guidelines, anyone can report material that infringes directly on their personal rights to the service provider, either to have it removed or to find out who posted it. While users have a choice of providers for internet services, certain companies dominate the market. Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? Mori resigned a week after the petition was created (see B8). In May 2020, MICs minister Takaichi Sanae, voiced her interest in amending the Provider Liability Limitation Law.3 In one significant instance, government officials and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) withheld data about pollution after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. In response, hashtags such as Tokyo Shimbun reporter restricted from asking questions, toward a country where we can freely ask questions, and we have the right to know trended on Twitter.9 The panel allegedly suspended its efforts to draft the legislation in October 2018 after failing to reach consensus on whether the blocking would violate the constitutional right to secrecy of communications.5, ISPs voluntarily filter child sexual abuse images, and many offer parents the option to filter certain other content to protect young internet users.6 These included interactive maps to share public information about disaster relief,1 The Act on Prevention of Improper Use of Mobile Phones (2005) requires mobile voice communication carriers to verify the identity of subscribers when a contract was terminated or transferred, in order to prevent a situation in which cell phone subscribers cannot be identified. The IHCs website offers online forms for reporting objectionable content, such as material that features obscene images, child sexual abuse images, illegal drugs, or prostitution, as well as a referencing system that allows users to look up the status of submitted reports. (Feb. 22, 2021) On December 30, 2020, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin signedFederal Law No. While these provisions were contested, and revisions are still planned,9 No third party can do so. An earlier Intercept report from 2017 analyzed leaked documents that suggested Japanese police and intelligence agencies were involved in in regional surveillance operations managed by the US National Security Agency (NSA). The provider notifies the individual who posted the content and fulfills the request with the posters permissionor without it if the individual fails to respond. Besides benefiting Japanese consumers,9 The book also examines the conflict between the obscenity law, introduced in Meiji times when Japan was importing Western models, and the freedom of speech law, which was put in place by the US occupation administration after World War II. In a 2015 lawsuit, the Tokyo High Court ordered Yahoo Japan to delete 11 search results that linked a mans name to criminal behavior. Internet censorship is the suppression of information online or access to the internet by a regulatory body. 10 Shocking Examples Of Censorship Groups Or Laws by Michael Van Duisen fact checked by Jamie Frater Censorship is the suppression of communication usually deemed harmful by the ruling government. Analysis of about half a million sample tweets posted before and after Japan's 2014 general election revealed that most posts were near-duplicates or retweets of those posted by bots, including many that disseminated nationalist or progovernment messages.3 Japan has three major mobile operatorsau, a KDDI brand; NTT Docomo; and SoftBank. Genshin Impact quietly announced a somewhat odd change right before patch 2.4 launched this week. Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? Former President Donald Trump late last year signed a law that requires US-listed companies to be held to American auditing standards and establish they are not owned or controlled by a foreign. The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has shocked Japan, a country with one of the world's lowest rates of gun crime due to its strict laws on gun ownership. The National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGHM) announced that it was the target of about 5.3 million ransomware attacks in 2020, compared to 1.2 million incidents in 2019, though they reported that sensitive research and personal information was not compromised during these attacks.12. However, in June 2018, Okamoto Kenichiro, known as Hagex online, was murdered in Fukuoka after presenting a seminar on best practices to deal with online disagreements and abuse, among other topics.7 In March 2020, the government approved a revision of the Copyright Act, criminalizing the downloading of unlicensed manga, magazines, and academic publications with a prison term of up to two years, a fine of 2 million ($18,000), or both. People can freely use the internet to mobilize, and netizens did so during the reporting period, notably to protest discrimination against women and LGBT+ communities. Taniwaki, who had been instrumental in the governments policies on mobile phone prices, was quickly transferred to another position.7, In March 2021, the Cabinet approved Shunichi Tokura, the former chairman of the Japan Music Rights Association (JASRAC), as Commissioner for Cultural Affairs. It is a troubling sign of the times in Japan when the government fails to unequivocally condemn threats of violence that target freedom of expression while politicians grandstand on censoring art. Observers argue that the industry has generally improved since the MIC was established in 2001, which resulted from the merger of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and the governments Management and Coordination Agency.1, Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) supported by the relevant companies in these three sectors perform a self-regulatory function. Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? Under the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets, intentional leaks can draw penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment, while unintentional leaks can be punished with up to two years in prison. However, in February 2020, he was convicted and received a 100,000 ($906) fine, after the Tokyo High Court overturned the acquittal.7 Iwakami was sentenced to pay 330,000 ($2,992) in September 2019 after he retweeted a post from 2017 that suggested Hashimoto was responsible for the suicide of one of his subordinates.3, Several users have been arrested and charged under a 2011 law criminalizing the creation and use of computer viruses without a legitimate reason (see C2). The platform provided data in 42 percent of cases.17. In 2017, several municipalities asked for a clearer definition of hate speech under the law.7 The court indicated that points such as the content of the search results, the scope of disclosure, the social status of the persons involved, the social situation, and the necessity of disclosing facts were critical in deciding whether search engine results should be removed.13 In 2016, the IHC began providing reports to Safe-line, a website maintained by the SIA.17 Government statistics show that the average cost of internet access for households with two or more people across Japan in 2020 was 3,601 ($34.59) compared with 3,753 ($36.05) in 2017.2 Increasing smartphone use has made the mobile market more competitive and resulted in improved pricing options, although the cost of service can otherwise be quite high. In 2017, two people were sentenced to 18 months in prison, a three-year suspension, and a 500,000 ($4,534) fine for copyright-related offenses.2, Journalists who report on sensitive topics also face government and authorities pressure in the form of defamation lawsuits. 482-FZ on Amendments to the Federal Law on Enforcement Actions Regarding Persons Involved in Violations of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms and the Rights and Freedoms of the Russian Federation Citizens. Facebook has suppressed content posted by Palestinians and their supporters speaking out about human rights issues in Israel and Palestine. Mosaics cover genitalia. This would mean navigating the country's notoriously tricky censorship rules, but given that China was, at the time, home to an estimated 560 million gamers, the commercial appeal was irresistible. The East Asia Summit which includes the 10 ASEAN members plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States issued several statements in 2021, including one on Women, Peace, and Security, noting the importance of women's roles to addressing root causes of terrorism. Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? Japans Supreme Court protects privacy in part through its interpretation of Article 13 of the constitution, which provides for the right to life and liberty.1 Some companies offer free Wi-Fi, including the private company Wire and Wireless (Wi2), part of the KDDI group, which provides free internet access in restaurants, coffee shops, and train stations; registration requires an email address.6 During the same period, Twitter received 16,648 requests for content removal.6 In March 2019, the Yokohama District Court acquitted one defendant, ruling that the cryptocurrency mining program did not constitute a virus.6 which attempts to crack the passwords of about 200 million internet-connected devices in homes and offices, starting with webcams, routers, and sensors, in order to better secure vulnerable devices with stronger passwords. Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users ability to publish content online? 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