WTF WHY IS JAPANESE PORN CENSORED???
I love porn. I'm sure you do too. Seeing as you are at an adult (Japanese) content site then I guess that you might fancy Japanese porn a bit too. Do you remember the first time you came across Japanese porn? I surely do. Because I remember I was completely and utterly infuriated with it. The porn video starts up, hot actress comes in, a cheesy storyline is explained, things get rolling, then BAM! I get a screen full of blurred out digital mosaic smudge plastered across my screen. At worst, around 80% of the scene was completely pixilated. Obviously, a big 'WTF?!?!?!' resonated in my head. I even stupidly tried to find the OFF button.JAPANESE PORN IS CENSORED BY LAWI later learned that a turn-off-stupid-mosaic button didn't exist. Also, that it was actually required by law to have all porn censored in Japan. Like any young curious guy would do, I started my lengthy search on the net. Luckily, I was able to dig up bits and pieces of free and paid uncensored Japanese porn. (Back in the day there wasn't a lot of streaming...) Nowadays, getting access to uncensored porn is a lot easier than before. The internet has evolved and changed but unfortunately, the available uncensored Japanese porn hasn't It's still the same old school videos I was watching back when I first started looking for it. If there was something newer the selection would be incredibly limited... So, for guys like me who are looking for the newest and most high-quality videos, there didn't seem like any other way but to just deal with the damn digital mosaic. I am sure there are others out there in the same boat. So I wrote a quick overview for the sake of shits and giggles. A way to actually know why censorship in Japan is killing our fun and maybe even help to come to terms with it.
WHY IS JAPANESE PORN CENSORED?
The origin of censorship in Japan was said to have started in the Edo period. The Japanese Emperor issued censorship laws that forbade woodblock artists and writers from portraying sexual acts and practices in their art. Later, in an effort to modernize Japan (with the Victorian sense of morality) in the Meiji Restoration, the Emperor introduced Article 175 of the Japanese Penal Code in 1907. This Article 175 stated that the selling and distribution of 'obscene materials' would be punished with a fine or prison penalty. The human genitals and pubic hair were defined as 'obscene'. This resulted in limiting what artists depicted in their work to keep things 'decent'. Fast forward to the current age, this Article 175 is still the main legal base that regulates sexual content or 'obscene material' in any form or media. It is the almighty reason for the mosaic blurring of the important bits in Japanese porn. From the mid-90's, interpretation of pubic hair was lightened and censorship focused purely on blurring out the penis and vaginal areas. Even medical pictures and pieces of classical art are censored if it openly showed a penis or vagina. FYI: The anus is not considered an 'obscene' part of the body. It apparently only has a biological use (at least in theory). It is only censored at contact or penetration.
WHO CHECKS THE CENSORING IN JAPANESE PORN VIDEOS?
Now, who is in charge of policing and enforcing the law? There are several organizations dedicated to this. For example, The Prosecutor’s Office and Police Force, Customs and Immigrations, and NEVA (Nihon Ethics of Video Association) or Bide-Rin in Japanese. The most influential organization is the Eirin (Eiga Rinri Kanri Iinkai / Motion Picture Code of Ethics Committee). This organization is the main regulator of media content in Japan. Almost all the media content (including pornography) that is produced or distributed in Japan must pass through their hands first before they can be launched on the market. If it doesn't then it can potentially be labeled illegal. Organizations such as the Eirin are in charge of deciding what content is appropriate. The actual censoring is done by the production companies. Larger companies may have in-house designers and technicians. While smaller companies sometimes may rely on outsourcing from companies that hire part-time workers. (Yes you can actually get a part-time job looking at porn all day).
CENSORED JAPANESE PORN: CREATING NEW GENRES
The law limits what can be shown in adult content in videos, manga and video games. Therefore creators introduced new adult genres to keep Japanese porn interesting. Even with the blob mosaic, they pushed the limits with newer and more erotic acts. Genres such as 'bukkake' and 'tentacle porn' are two famous examples of attempts at bypassing the Eirin's censorship. In the case of 'bukkake' creators would focus less on the 'act of penetration' and focus more on creating an erotic situation. For 'tentacle porn', it was a way to not have to censor the penetrating object as tentacles aren't essentially classed as a penis. A good try to get around the obscenity law. But for some (especially from the western world) this type of porn could be seen as distasteful or disgusting. You may hear many people comment that Japanese porn is 'weird', 'gross' and even 'downright crazy'. But it originally was a way for porn makers to make selling content despite the censorship regulations. Also, it is another way to accommodate for a variety of sexual fantasies and tastes.
FIGHT AGAINST CENSORSHIP
Recently, the Japanese public opinion about sex seems to be changing. However, there still is a strong resistance to any kind of abolishment of the obscenity law. There have been many famous court cases on the infringement of this law that have involved movie makers and artists. One recent example is Megumi Igarashi. Megumi Igarashi is a manga artist and sculptress, famous for her work that portrays the female genitalia. From 2014 she had been accused of a number of allegations related to the Japanese obscenity law. She started up a crowdfunding campaign in which she publicly offered to send her supporters a sculpture of her vagina. This sculpture was of course not censored. Therefore, she was arrested and ordered to pay a fine of ¥400,000 for the distribution of obscene material. She and her supporters claim that the vulva is a natural part of the female body and should not be considered as something 'obscene'. However, the authorities didn't listen to a word of it.
WILL THE CENSORSHIP LAWS CHANGE?
The big question is whether we will ever be able to watch Japanese porn without it being censored with that pixelated blob. Personally, I doubt it. This Article 175 of the Penal Code is a law that survived the American occupation after World War II. Even though the 1947 constitution is meant to abolish all forms of censorship and empower Freedom of Speech, this law is still thoroughly enforced and deeply rooted in Japanese society today. Not to mention, Japanese people are haters for change, especially the older generation (in high positions). On a side note, I was very surprised by the feedback I got from a few of my Japanese friends about this matter. One said that by having the mosaic, it made the video more sexually enticing. It was more thrilling for him to 'imagine' what was underneath. Another said that watching uncensored porn was just too real, even disgusting (having to look at the male actor's knob). Overall, this law has deep roots in Japanese history and society, and there are people calling for a change. But it doesn't seem to be going anywhere quick. I guess all we can do is squint real hard or find a way to get x-ray vision.
