censorship

Machine-learning A.I. used to try to skirt Japanese censorship laws.

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Many angered online over news that “Joker” may never show on Japanese TV

Popular opinion is not to blame movies for people’s actions.

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Man uses AI to “destroy” censor mosaics in Japanese adult videos, gets arrested by Kyoto police

It’s debatable whether or not what he did was actually destruction, but the police say there’s no question it was a crime.

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Kadokawa president apologizes and takes pay cut for his comments about censoring manga

The publishing president is “deeply reflecting” on his “inappropriate comments” during his recent appearance on a TV program.

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Anime masterpiece Akira seemingly banned in Russia due to fears of mentally damaging kids

St. Petersburg doesn’t want people to watch Neo Tokyo EXPLODE.

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Throwing planet-smashing energy beams at one another is OK, but those martial arts masters better keep their middle fingers down.

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Defector: Gaming culture is alive and well in North Korea, popular titles include GTA V and FIFA

Fourteen-year-old who fled North Korea says all his friends have played western games.

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China bans rap music in an effort to reduce “vulgar” culture

Since January 23, rap artists are no longer allowed on public broadcasts in China.

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Sapporo man arrested for posting URLs to “obscene material” on website

Suspect facing criminal charges for simply copying and pasting three web addresses.

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Kewpie Mayonnaise censors logo of angel wings and nudity for American consumers

If you’re American then sorry, Kewpie doesn’t think you’re ready for its hard-core naked angel logo like most of Earth is.

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Controversial artist Rokudenashiko found guilty on obscenity charge

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Put a shirt on, you crazy kids!

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Scientists call for more education after a study finds that a huge number of Japanese people are afflicted with a condition that causes their private parts to appear blurry. 

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At some point, maybe you just have to ask “What’s the point of showing this on TV?”

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Illegal mosaic-free porn business busted after earning over US$1M in revenues

Osaka police recently uncovered a booming mail-order business servicing the entire nation with pornographic DVDs which lacked the legally required pixellation over actors’ genitalia.

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Yo-kai watch what the western Yo-kai Watch doesn’t want you to yo-kai watch

With Yo-Kai Watch finally exported overseas, many await the inevitable changes due to localization and censorship that will occur. After all, if it can happen to Doraemon, it can happen to any series. Sure enough, the English version of Yo-kai Watch anime did not fail to disappoint.

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Seth MacFarlane’s Ted tones down language, cashes in with edited Japan version for 12-year-olds

If there’s one defining aspect of the star of raunchy comedy Ted, it’s that he doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks about him. As a matter of fact, if he were describing himself, Ted’s first instinct would probably have been a stronger word than “damn,” but being neither a magical living stuffed animal nor the on-screen avatar of massively influential and wealthy comedian Seth MacFarlane, I have to be a touch more careful in my choice of vocabulary.

But shockingly enough, it turns out Ted is capable of self-censoring, as the recently released sequel Ted 2 is being edited into a family-friendly picture aimed at kids as young as 12 in Japan.

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Apple would rather you not blow up teen couples on your iPhone, asks developer to edit video game

In a lot of ways, digital distribution of video games is a great thing, as it allows developers to easily add new content to a title after its release. It’s a double-edged sword, though, and that same streamlined pathway from programmer to player can also be used to quickly make changes that take things away.

A few weeks ago, we took a look at a smartphone game whose lonely, jaded protagonist and his mystical, jaded companion use their powers to make affectionate couples meet with a host of calamities, including straight blowing them up. Apple, however, is not cool with this sort of vengeful fantasy, and so the iOS version of the game is being toned down and given a new name since the original title, Explode, Real Types! no longer describes the game’s contents.

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Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art forced to cover up “obscene” photos following complaint

When police arrested Japanese artist Rokudenashiko last month for distributing 3-D printer plans for models of her vagina, the world was at once baffled and outraged. But despite all the fuss that was raised over the artist’s arrest, it looks like the Japanese police are at it again, this time targeting the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art for an exhibition featuring nude photography by the Japanese photographer Ryudai Takano.

Though no one has been arrested, the museum made headlines after it partially covered some of Ryudai’s photographs with cloth after local police deemed the images “obscene.” However, many in Japan are questioning the legitimacy of the cops’ actions.

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Dragon Ball Kai: Beautifully remastered but woefully censored for a new generation

A few years back, Dragon Ball Kai was broadcast as a remastered version of the Dragon Ball Z series from the Raditz story arc to the Cell events when production stopped due to the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011. This series boasted more vivid colors, updated music and new voice actors to appeal to a new generation of viewers.

Such changes could be seen as improvement, but surely upset some hardcore fans of the original series with the thinking “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, recently even more casual fans are calling the new series a “corruption” of the original after learning that moves were also made to tone down some of Dragon Ball Z’s violence.

Read on to see which classic scene got “cleaned up.”

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