Manga artists and publishers oppose Tokyo's move to restrict freedom of expression

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Manga artists and publishers oppose Tokyo's move to restrict freedom of expression

Cartoonists and publishers in Tokyo have raised concerns regarding the metropolitan government's attempt to revise its ordinance on "healthy youth development," claiming that it will lead to an infringement on the freedom of expression.

On May 25, 1,421 artists and publishers issued a joint statement in protest against the bill to revise the ordinance.

Pointing out that the bill, if enacted, would restrict sexual expressions involving characters who can be recognized as under 18 years old in cartoons and animations, the statement warns that it could make artists shrink from exploring their creativity and thus lead to the decline in the "manga" culture.

At a rally held for the same cause on the same day in Tokyo, Japan Federation of Publishing Workers' Unions Secretary Hirakawa Shuichi, speaking on behalf of organizers, called for the struggles to protect freedom of speech, publication, and expression to be further developed.

Metropolitan assembly members of the Democratic Party of Japan as well as the Japanese Communist Party attended the rally. While DPJ representative Yoshida Koichiro said that the DPJ is attempting to propose an amendment to the bill, Yoshida Nobuo on behalf of the JCP declared that his party will strive to get it scrapped, stressing that assembly discussions and civil struggles have clearly revealed the problems associated with the bill.

- Akahata, May 27, 2010