What do you think of 2channel, Japan’s biggest Internet forum, where anonymous netizens post anything, including death threats?

Have Your Say Apr. 27, 2012 - 05:45AM JST ( 15 )

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15 Comments

-4

kurisupisuApr. 27, 2012 - 08:10AM JST

More freedom of speech is needed in Japan-if it becomes a crime to say something, however horrific ,then thought control is next,the next step is the repressive regimes that humanity has often seen.
6

gyouzaApr. 27, 2012 - 10:04AM JST

@kurisupusu I don't believe this is freedom of speech - if you made death threats to someone face to face you would be arrested and subsequently convicted. It isn't controlled, and can end up in cyber bullying with unfounded claims being spread causing serious distress. Frankly, you can keep that kind of freedom imHo!
-5

Hôjô SôunApr. 27, 2012 - 02:06PM JST

I don't think Japanese in general want such levels of freedom of speech. We prefer not to exert opinions as what "I" think, but rather what is best for and agreed upon by the whole. Unrestricted free speech is too much of a burden in that sense. It's best to know that this is the limit, and crossing it will estrange me from polite society.

That said, there are some lively sports discussions on 2channel, and sometimes even some trade rumors leaked out ahead of the official press releases.
1

hoserfellaApr. 28, 2012 - 12:15PM JST

We prefer not to exert opinions as what "I" think, but rather what is best for and agreed upon by the whole.

Hojo Soun - Do you really speak on behalf of all 127 million Japanese? I don't think so.
-2

Hôjô SôunApr. 28, 2012 - 01:54PM JST

hoserfella,

Hojo Soun - Do you really speak on behalf of all 127 million Japanese? I don't think so.

I never said that I do. Certainly there are people who are still very young and haven't developed a social consciousness yet, so they cannot be spoken for. But overall I think you will find this is true of Confucian values societies. The whole is greater than the self and the self must suppress its desire to assert itself in order to maintain harmony.
0

hoserfellaApr. 28, 2012 - 02:40PM JST

I never said that I do

Yes, you did. When you say, "We Japanese" it can only mean one thing; you are are speaking on behalf of the country. As for your Confucian society claim, Its just a myth. I've never in my life seen so many public meltdowns as I have here in Japan.
0

gaijinfoApr. 28, 2012 - 02:42PM JST

For one thing, I'm not even sure Japan has a "free speech" tradition as in the west. For another thing, that only applies to public places, anyhow. 2chan is a privately owned forum, with it's own guidelines. It would be like having a private party at your house, and people talking about how they want to kill various politicians or whomever. That kind of speech wouldn't be protected under free speech, it would be protected under private property laws.

That being said, anything damaging to somebody's reputation, or anything said on 2chan that caused physical harm to property or person, the owner of 2chan could and should be sued under the full extent of the law.

However, I'm not sure what the law says if I"m in my own home, or a guest in somebody else's home (e.g. not in public property) and threatened to kill somebody. I think I would only be arrested if the host asked me to leave, and I refused.

It's up to 2chan management to kick people out that are being rowdy.
0

GWApr. 28, 2012 - 02:46PM JST

But overall I think you will find this is true of Confucian values societies. The whole is greater than the self and the self must suppress its desire to assert itself in order to maintain harmony.

And this is major reason what the majority suffer the same unnecessary miseries, BUT HEY the govt & Japan Inc are sure as hell happy about it!

Me, no bloody thanks! Plenty of ways to be nice & civil & have a good life why do the way that leaves most at best pretty blah lives.......................yada to that!
-2

Hôjô SôunApr. 28, 2012 - 03:57PM JST

gaijininfo,

For one thing, I'm not even sure Japan has a "free speech" tradition as in the west.

That's an excellent point. Free speech traditions in the arose out of the need to say or publish things when one might say something that would make the government or powers that be uncomfortable. In other words, it was enshrined in the American Bill of Rights because the founders of America knew exactly how chilling the effects of speech suppression could be. On the other hand, in Japan there has never been such a situation where people had to worry about being persecuted for free speech. There is a much closer connection from commoners to ruling class, due to a shared language and culture, something one does not often find in the west. Thus, the ruling class, be they emperors or politicians, are munificent, gentle, and would never think to persecute their own people for speaking freely. Now that we have legal frameworks and the Internet, perhaps things have changed slightly, but the analysis is still dead on accurate.
0

SynbiosApr. 28, 2012 - 06:03PM JST

2ch is a great place if you want to know how the Japanese psyche works. A place where they don't have to be polite, wear a mask, avoid saying what they think etc.. At first I though that it was an amazing place that allowed them to release the stress and others to know how other people like them think.

Now of course it also has a lot of downfalls. People most of the time scream and swear like no tomorrow, its even worse than a normal forum in other countries. There are also links to illegal websites, people offering drugs for sell, pedophiles...its definitely a place that looks ugly and lacks any control whatsoever if you go to the wrong places.

It's the other side of the coin, the world where people go to play that part that the Japanese society doesn't let them play, where they can be as they want without fear of being ostracized. I think that Japan needs more places like 2ch, but with enough control and moderators, it needs to be a source of information and opinions, not a place where people go to release their stress by insulting other people, other races and trying to take advantage of others.
-2

hoserfellaApr. 28, 2012 - 06:15PM JST

On the other hand, in Japan there has never been such a situation where people had to worry about being persecuted for free speech. There is a much closer connection from commoners to ruling class, due to a shared language and culture, something one does not often find in the west. Thus, the ruling class, be they emperors or politicians, are munificent, gentle, and would never think to persecute their own people for speaking freely

Hojo Soun - I just threw up in my mouth after reading that one
-2

PeaceWarriorApr. 28, 2012 - 06:22PM JST

I just threw up in my mouth after reading that one

Hahaha, I just signed in to say, ME TOO!!
-1

tmarieApr. 28, 2012 - 09:31PM JST

I don't think Japanese in general want such levels of freedom of speech. We prefer not to exert opinions as what "I" think, but rather what is best for and agreed upon by the whole.

And in these few sentences, this explains what is wrong with society here. "We" and thinking that everyone thinks alike and that everything is agreed upon. Nothing here is agreed upon. It is all top down and sod what the lower rung members of society think - which means, the public.
-2

nudgenudgeApr. 29, 2012 - 11:10AM JST

Why do some people hate freedom so much? Or are they afraid of it?

No one ever died because of a death threat on 2CH. No one was ever saved for a death thread being removed either. 2CH is nothing but information in the form of electrons traveling around the globe. It does not frighten me.

And it seems completely obvious that the benefits of free speech that 2CH embodies far outweigh the down side.
0

kurisupisuMay. 10, 2012 - 09:36AM JST

@gyouza

Death threats are being made all the time in public and in some cases even acted upon.

There are nations that assassinate opponents clandestinely without redress.

From the US to North Korea, nations are continually engaged in threats to render each other impotent

Is an anonymous individual to be denied the right to follow suit?