Japan

Japan is an East Asian country. Millions of them practice Shintoism or Buddhism, with a 1% practicing Christianity.

It is a free constitutional monarchy, with a parliamentary democracy.

Imperial censorship (1900-1945)

Published media and films were subject to censors in order to promote Fascist national unity.

• Insulting the Emperor
• Questioning the Constitution
• Undermining the proper use of the Japanese language (slang)
• Anything considered "Anglo-American" (fairly random)

Occupation censorship (1945-1950)

On 5 October 1945, MacArthur began censoring Japanese newspapers. Unlike the Meiji censorship, newspapers were not allowed to black out the offending portions; indeed, mentioning the censorship was forbidden even in confidential conversations.

Print censorship

• "False" or "destructive" criticism of the Allies, even truthful reports of them picking up Japanese girls at docks, or reporting crimes committed by Americans
• Criticism of the treatment of Japanese in Manchuria
• Criticism of the Allies' wartime policies
• Comments suggesting the possibility of a World War III
• "Overplaying" widespread food shortages

Movies

• Movies deemed nationalistic or patriotic (nearly all prewar movies)
• Citizen Kane (apparently for portraying the United States negatively)

Books

• Books, textbooks, fiction, etc. that were patriotic, nationalistic, or portrayed wartime generals in a positive light
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Lady Chatterley's Lover (1957-1990s)

Modern censorship

Books

• In 1999, Japan's customs authority banned the importation of a book of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, despite it having previously been published in the country without incident. In 2008, the Supreme Court overturned the ban.Historian Saburo Ienaga holds the distinction of being the complainant in the longest civil trial in any country on record. In 1965, he sued the Japanese education ministry over its refusal to approve to his history book, which did not shy away from depicting wartime atrocities by the Japanese. Ienaga and his lawyers argued that the refusal to approve the book constituted censorship, though there was never any ban on the sale of the book, just on its use as an official textbook in schools. In 1997, the Supreme Court finally ruled that although no censorship had taken place, the ministry had nonetheless abused its discretion in not approving the book.
• The Bells of Nagasaki, a nonfiction account of the atomic bombing of that city by a survivor, was initially refused publication under the censorship regime during the American occupation. It was eventually allowed to be published with an accurate but off-topic appendix about atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese tacked onto the end, presumably for "balance". Versions published after the end of the occupation, as well as English translations, generally omit the appendix.
• Historian Saburo Ienaga holds the distinction of being the complainant in the longest civil trial in any country on record. In 1965, he sued the Japanese education ministry over its refusal to approve to his history book, which did not shy away from depicting war-time atrocities by the Japanese. Ienaga and his lawyers argued that the refusal to approve the book constituted censorship, though there was never any ban on the sale of the book, just on its use as an official textbook in schools. In 1997, the Supreme Court finally ruled that although no censorship had taken place, the ministry had nonetheless abused its discretion in not approving the book.

Manga

• Although not banned in Japan at national level (and never banned from private sales), Barefoot Gen has been banned from libraries at the local level on multiple occasions:
  • In 2012, a right wing group complained to the Matsue city assembly to ban the manga from school libraries because it contained "unsupported" depictions of Japanese atrocities. The city assembly refused to act, but the local school board subsequently moved all copies in local elementary and middle schools to closed shelves, effectively stopping students from reading the work at school. When this action became widely known nationally in 2013, there was a large public outcry. In the ensuing controversy, Japan's education minister commented that he found the ban to be appropriate, though he took no actions himself. In the end, the school board reconvened and unanimously decided to lift the ban, though it is left it to individual schools to decide how they wanted to treat the books.
    • In 2011, the legal guardian of a child complained to the central library of the city of Tottori that it was inappropriate to have a manga "with rape and other sexual depictions in a place where children can reach it." The library removed the work from its shelves and decided to provide it only to those who specifically asked for it. After the scandal in Matsue mentioned above, the library moved the manga back to the shelves.

Movies

In Japan, movies are regulated by Eirin, short for Film Classification and Rating Organization (映画倫理機構, Eiga Rinri Kikō), which classifies films into one of four categories depending on their suitability for viewing by minors of different ages.

From 1976 to May 1, 1998, there were three rating categories:

• General Audiences (一般指定, Ippan Shitei) - Patrons of all ages are admitted.
• Limited General Film (一般映画制限付, Ippan Eiga Seigen-tsuki) - Patrons under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The first Japanese film to use this rating was Ninkyo Gaiden: Genkai Nada (任侠外伝 玄界灘, Ninkyō Gaiden: Genkai Nada, released May 29, 1976) and the first non-Japanese film to use this rating was Snuff(released June 19, 1976), a movie claiming to show actual scenes of homicide.
• Adult Audiences (成人指定, Seijin Shitei) - Only adults are admitted.

On May 1, 1998 four rating categories were introduced: R15+ and R18+ are restricted categories and it is forbidden to admit an underage patron to a film with a restricted rating as well as rent, sell, or exhibit DVDs/motion picture releases to underage patrons with restricted ratings. Such violations are a criminal offense and strictly enforced.

• G: General Audiences. All ages admitted.
• PG12 (PG-12): Parental Guidance Requested. Some material may be unsuitable for children under 12. Parents are advised to accompany their children during the film. May contain violent content, sexual content, use of drugs as well as underage drinking, smoking or driving. Horror movies usually get this rating.

The R15+ and R18+ ratings are age restricted. All cinemas are legally required to check the age of all patrons who wish to view an R15+ or R18+ rated film. Admitting underage patrons to such films is considered a criminal offense and can be punished with fines/imprisonment.^{[citation needed]}

• R15+ (R-15): Restricted to teenagers 15 and over only. Children and teenagers under the age of 15 are banned from viewing the film. May contain bullying, more extreme violent content, more extreme sexual content, inappropriate language and criminal activity such as the yakuza and crimes of counterfeiting.
• R18+ (R-18): Restricted to adults 18 and over only. Children and teenagers under the age of 18 are banned from viewing the film. May contain glamorization of violence, explicit sexual activity and glamorization of the use of drugs.

Black Snow - This 1965 pink film movie ,which depicts the lives of prostitutes on the outskirts of a US military base in Tokyo, was the first film to be prosecuted on grounds of obscenity. However, in 1966, the Tokyo District Court ruled the film as "not obscene", with the lower court holding that the defendants, Takechi and Nikkatsu distributor chief Satoru Murakami, were not culpable, as the film had successfully passed Eirin. The ruling was upheld in 1969 at the Tokyo High Court, which deemed that the film was obscene but acquitted the pair on the basis of the approval the film had received from Eirin. The rulings were followed in 1972 by a series of prosecutions against Nikkatsu's Roman Porno film series, which similarly ended in acquittals of Nikkatsu employees in 1978 and 1980 on the basis of Eirin approvals.

Most Japanese adult videos (JAV) have the genitalia of the actors and actresses censored (but not the breasts and nipples of the actresses) , due to the Article 175 of the Japanese Criminal Code (1907), which has provisions against "indecent material".

Games

Any console game containing indecent nudity (e.g. breasts of a female, genitalia) or human dismemberment is not allowed and must be censored to comply with CERO's rating guidelines.

• None of the Mortal Kombat games since Mortal Kombat Trilogy on the original PlayStation have been localized for the Japanese market due to excessive gore and violence.

TV shows

Anime

• Pokémon: The episode "Electric Soldier Porygon" was infamous for its seizure-inducing strobe effects, which affected hundreds of viewers, most of them children. After being aired only once, the whole series was put on hiatus in Japan for four months, and the government required flashing effects like that to be toned down. The episode itself was banned worldwide. Porygon (and its evolutions) was never seen again in the Pokémon anime.
• Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show was banned for depicting graphic violence on animals, which was illegal in Japan. It's a miracle it was even made, as no one wanted to sponsor it, and it took the author five years and his entire life's savings to finish it. It did see a limited print run in Japan after the law was overturned.
• Cowboy Bebop: Initially aired censored on TV, later released uncensored on home video.
• Gantz: Initially aired censored on TV, later released uncensored on home video. When Gantz was aired on Fuji TV during Summer 2004, the violent/gore scenes were censored, however, on cable TV channel WOWOW, it was aired uncut.
• Osomatsu-san: Some episodes were edited for reruns and home releases.
• Due to some facts of true crime news, many networks decided to self-censor themselves by showing the censored version of many anime. One notable example was on 18 September 2007, when Higurashi no Nako Koro ni Kai and School Days had their television airings cancelled due to their violent content, after a 45-year-old police officer was murdered by his 16-year-old daughter with an axe.
• Moetan: Episode 6 was not aired nationwide, while Chiba TV aired the censored version.
• Area 88: Some nudity scenes were removed from opening.
• Girls Bravo: Fuji TV censored the nudity scenes in the baths by digitally placing steam on the female character's bodies, due to this censorship the female protagonists were known as the "steamgirls".

Western animation

• Most Western Animation that features human characters with Four-Fingered Hands often have trouble making it past Japanese censors due to the social stigma surrounding people with missing fingers, such as Yakuza members. Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters are an exception to this, as Disney holds its own strict "no-editing" policy for foreign distribution similar to Studio Ghibli.

The Simpsons: "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo" was never broadcasted on Japanese TV and is unavailable on the Japanese version of The Simpsons season 10 DVD release due the offensive and ignorant jokes about Japan and its culture, as well due to a scene considered offensive towards the Emperor of Japan, depicting Homer tossing the then-Emperor Akihito into a bin of sumo thongs (in Japan, the emperor is only allowed to be seen in children's books and in the news), the family having an epileptic fit after seeing an anime (a reference to "Electric Soldier Porygon" above), the family going on a sadistic game show, and the implication that the Hello Kitty factory uses live cats in their products.

The episode "Little Big Mom" was also banned in Japan as a part of the plot involves Lisa tricking Homer and Bart into thinking they have leprosy. Japan has a very controversial history involving discrimination against lepers and to have an episode like that air would be considered offensive (though not as much as "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo").

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