A Change.org petition calling for Mori's resignation garnered more than 145,000 signatures in one week. Some of those arrested were fined 100,000 ($906).5 Many providers bundle digital media subscriptions, including cable television, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services, and email, pushing costs higher. The city has considered measures to deal with online hate speech, but did not implement a specific ordinance to address this activity. Rakuten, in an effort to gain a competitive edge, launched cheaper plans in April 2021 compared to those offered by the other three mobile service providers. Share Share. YouTubers and Instagram personalities have also become increasingly influential in recent years. Police can request these details, along with usage logs, if they detect illegal online activity. In May 2019, it was revealed that the national government and Fukushima Prefecture paid over 24 billion ($217 million) to an advertising agency to manage public relations, including in online outlets, after the disaster.6. Cybersecurity efforts ramped up ahead of the summer Olympics, which were originally planned for 2020, particularly around internet of things (IoT) devices.1, In October 2020, the UK National Cyber Security Centre revealed that Russian military intelligence was planning a cyberattack on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021 in an attempt to disrupt the event.2 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. Individuals who are half-black and half-Japanese, continue to face racism online. Social Media Platforms; Prohibiting a social media platform from willfully deplatforming a candidate; providing requirements for public contracts and economic incentives related to entities that have been convicted or held civilly liable for antitrust violations; providing that social media platforms that fail to comply with specified 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. #censorship. Mosaics cover genitalia. No major foreign operators have successfully penetrated the telecommunications market independently. Messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Viber, are often. Facebook reported 66 government requests involving 82 accounts between July and December 2020. Individuals can generally use the internet anonymously in Japan. Such posts have attacked critics of the LDP government and have at times initiated negative campaigns against opposition lawmakers.1 1850 M St. NW Floor 11 Kisha clubs provide essential access to officials in Japan, but they have been accused of denying such access to young journalists and new media outlets; the system may also limit some reporters access to certain locations, such as areas affected by the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets came into force in 2014, despite objections from the opposition, civil society, and protesters. While users have a choice of providers for internet services, certain companies dominate the market. 2 No major incidents of physical violence related to peoples online activity were reported during the coverage period, though incidents of online harassment and intimidation, particularly against women, individuals with at least one Black parent, and medical personnel, did occur (see C7). Mori resigned a week after the petition was created (see B8). Three men and three women, who acted as instructors and executors alongside Hoshino, were also convicted of violating the Copyright Act.1 In 2016, the IHC began providing reports to Safe-line, a website maintained by the SIA.17 The man who later confessed to the stabbing allegedly harassed Okamoto online; in November 2019, he received an 18-year prison sentence.8. It was not clear how much of the monitoring involved digital as opposed to physical surveillance.14. Due in part to strong infrastructure, internet access is widely available to users in Japan. Four of its women characters, Jean, Amber, Mona and Rosaria, would be getting new "alternate . However, the LDP ultimately decided not to submit a bill on LGBT+ equality due to strong opposition by some conservative lawmakers.8, In early 2019, users rallied behind a Tokyo Shimbun reporter who was targeted by the government. In February 2020, the Defense Ministry reported that some sensitive information may have been leaked as the result of the Mitsubishi breach.8 Under the amended law, an individual can request the court to disclose information about a sender who posted defamatory content. In June 2020, Japan passed amendments to the Act on the Protection of Personal Information. The laws authors struggled to balance restrictions on racial and ethnic slurs with freedom of expression guarantees in the constitution.5 Censorship by the government is unconstitutional. The constitutional right to secrecy of communications is also protected under telecommunications laws.2 Digital activism in Japan has been highly effective at both the local and the national level, and online mobilization tools are freely available. (Feb. 22, 2021) On December 30, 2020, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin signedFederal Law No. Authorities have used the law to convict the operators of manga piracy site Mangamura (see C2 and C3). 10 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. 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 Political bots have also permeated the Japanese internet. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and international blog-hosting services are freely available, as are popular local platforms like Niconico, the video-sharing site, and LINE, a chat application that was launched in Japan in 2011. In December 2019, Kawasaki City created the first nondiscrimination ordinance that includes criminal penalties for hate speech in public spaces. If a device is successfully hacked, its owner will be advised to strengthen security measures, for instance by making their passwords more complex. The 2013 My Number law introduced a unique 12-digit number for all long-term residents used to access unified social welfare services and taxation purposes. In June 2018, the government convened a panel to review potential legislation targeting websites that host pirated content. Besides benefiting Japanese consumers,9 Blogs have a significant impact on public opinion, and several independent journalists are becoming influential through personal or commercial websites and social media accounts. In one significant instance, government officials and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) withheld data about pollution after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The individuals defense team plans to file an appeal.8. In 2002, industry associations produced guidelines designed to protect ISPs from legal liability within the jurisdiction of the Japanese courts. I know they sold 2 different versions of RE games at least, a more censored version and a less censored version for adults. In 2017, several municipalities asked for a clearer definition of hate speech under the law.7 Cyberattacks occasionally target civil society and private companies, although none were reported during the coverage period. In a survey by the Japan Medical Association, there were 700 incidents between October and December 2020 where medical staff treating COVID-19 patients were subject to online harassment.1 Experts are concerned that the new policies to streamline data handling between the local and central governments will dilute personal information protections previously established by local governments and may enable increased government surveillance.11 Censorship can be a constant factor, or it can be enacted during emergencies (or particular . During Diet sessions, when questions were raised as to whether the Ministry of Defense and the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office were intercepting phone calls and e-mails, the government declined to answer.12. The UNs special rapporteur for privacy noted ahead of the laws passage that in order to establish the existence and the extent of such a planning and preparatory actions, it is logical to assume that those charged would have had to be subjected to a considerable level of surveillance beforehand.7, Under a wiretap law enacted in 2000, law enforcement agents may seek a court order to conduct electronic surveillance in criminal investigations involving drugs, firearms, human trafficking, or organized murders, in an exception to articles of other laws that explicitly forbid wiretapping.8 Just as in ancient Grecian communities, the Roman ideal of good governance included shaping the character of the people. Article 1. Today, however, this concept is, in our view, distorted and fought against. In April 2021, Reporters Without Borders also criticized the kisha club system in their annual World Press Freedom Index.4. 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. However, in October of 2012, the Japanese government stated that Article 23(1) was abolished and, therefore, same-sex . Japanese man arrested for stealing women's shoes and replacing them with new ones; Japanese office disaster: man pees in drink bottle of woman coworker because "he liked her" Japanese Twitter reacts to Logan Paul's "Japanese Suicide Forest" video; Man travels 100 kilometers in middle of the night in Japan to punch another dude in . It is a point of pride in the US that freedom of speech is written into the Constitution. The J-NSC remained active during the coverage period.2. 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