Latest 15 of 39 Total Comments Show All

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  cracaphat at 08:54 PM JST - 17th May

  More token steps by the sukebe pols who are really trying to water the bill down. One year ain't much of a deterrent and neither is a million yen fine.Just weak.

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  medievaltimes at 11:38 PM JST - 17th May

  This is a great law..................if it is enforced.

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  Molenir at 12:49 AM JST - 18th May

  I'm actually rather torn by this whole issue. On the one hand kiddie porn is just wrong. No other way to say it. However actually possessing it, provided you don't donate, or give to the people who create it, doesn't seem bad all that bad. I mean its not like these people are victimizing little kids themselves. Add to the fact that I've heard of girls being prosecuted on child porn charges simply because they took a naked picture of themselves...

  I guess what it comes down to is, do you think that possessing such stuff encourages abuse, or do you think it provides an outlet for people who are already twisted, thus preventing abuse. Not sure myself. However being from the US which has long had anti-child porn laws, I probably come down on the side of criminalizing it. As long as its pictures of actual children, not just manga etc, where no one is being harmed except the perverts who choose to view the stuff. And a year in jail or a large fine seems like a reasonable punishment.

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  soothsayer at 07:51 AM JST - 18th May

  Dr Jones,

  @soothsayer: So everybody who is against your lynch justice is of low intelligence and has questionable taste? interesting indeed! For you obviously only black and white exists if you understand my comment as a defensive stance.

  Let's just say that my outbursts were frustration against a government who doesn't seem to care about the victims of pedaphilia. I don't plan to be buying any rope soon. But a one way ticket to a country that locks creeps that prey on children away would be a worthy investment, I think!

  I was also surprised, to say the least, that your post didn't appear to show any sympathy towards the children who suffer at the hands of adults who take advantage of their weakness and innocence. I apologise for any insinuations I made towards you, but I honestly believe there is such a thing as being too open-minded. I have found that the phrase "not that I agree with____but" often means that a person actually has issues they need to deal with. Take, for instance those people who say "I'm not racist, but...". Do you see what I mean?

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  GW at 11:49 AM JST - 18th May

  However actually possessing it, provided you don't donate, or give to the people who create it, doesn't seem bad all that bad

  Molenir, yeah it is bad, if people consume this stuff others will make it, you own child porn(not you molenir) you contribute to its production which means cild porn owners directly conttribute to child abuse, point blank!

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  dr_jones at 12:48 PM JST - 18th May

  @soothsayer: Ok, accepted. I just prefer to keep a neutral stance on things I don't know details about. Nowadays society is clearly making a witch hunt against pedophiles, same naive mindset like hundreds of years ago. Like mark901 already stated, most people tend to get into an impulsive rage when hearing about such topics instead of keeping a cool head.

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  blvtzpk at 01:32 PM JST - 18th May

  dr_jones

  Nowadays society is clearly making a witch hunt against pedophiles, same naive mindset like hundreds of years ago.

  I think you do your argument (even considering how spurious it is) a disservice by comparing hunting for supposed 'witches' in the past (people who were attributed to be involved in 'witchcraft' because of their 'outsider-ness') to the prosecution of adults who take advantage of the young for either their own or other people's financial gain or sexual pleasure. Unlike the past, when people were ascribing strange powers to people and allegiance to the devil based on heresay, what's being discussed in this proposal concerns people who produce or are possession of physical (or digital) evidence. Quite clearly different, wouldn't you say?

  In any respect, the witchhunts of the past were often looking for scapegoats to blame or help explain away conditions within their socieities. Are you saying that's what happening now? Are you claiming that the people I've described above are being scapegoated, and because we need someone to blame?

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  Loki520 at 09:17 PM JST - 18th May

  "..criminalize the possession of such pornographic material even for personal use.."

  Hold on.... EVEN for personal use? EVEN? Ok.... what use other than "personal" can there be for child porn?

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  Molenir at 10:34 PM JST - 18th May

  However actually possessing it, provided you don't donate, or give to > the people who create it, doesn't seem bad all that bad

  Molenir, yeah it is bad, if people consume this stuff others will make it, you own child porn(not you molenir) you contribute to its production > which means cild porn owners directly conttribute to child abuse, point blank!

  (Sorry if this turns out poorly, playing with the quote function.) I disagree on this point. Yes, if people are buying it, then you are absolutely right, they're contributing to abuse. I'd say charge them as accessories to the crime. But say, someone downloads a picture from the web. They in all likelihood have had no contact with the creator, or the victim. I don't see how simply having the pictures necessarily, contributes to the creation of more.

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  medievaltimes at 12:07 AM JST - 19th May

  I have a hard time believing they are going to enforce this. Anyone that has lived in Japan for more than six months understands how much Japanese men are facinated with high school girls.

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  realist at 12:19 AM JST - 19th May

  Im sorry, but I will believe this when I see it - in places like Akihabara, for example, where child porn is openly sold in shops, along side toys and Japanese souvenirs. Nothing will happen about this unless the J government`s sidekicks in the yakuza give their approval.

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  Altria at 09:23 AM JST - 19th May

  I read the Yahoo Japan article on this topic, and was amazed that all the top-rated comments were from people expressing their outrage at this new law...

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  GW at 09:43 AM JST - 19th May

  But say, someone downloads a picture from the web. They in all likelihood have had no contact with the creator, or the victim. I don't see how simply having the pictures necessarily, contributes to the creation of more.

  then those people are obviously using child porn sites now arent they, people even just viewing these sites are then DIRECTLY connected to the issue of child porn, you view sites you download, yr providing hits for sites, think of JT here, we are ALL contributing to their internet biz, for the sickos who knowingly use the net for child porn, they are directly contributing to child abuse!!

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  keshii at 02:25 PM JST - 20th May

  What does the article mean, "even for personal use". As opposed to what other type of usage?

  I still think this is a good law, and way to go, Japan.

  GW is right: by not doing anything to stop child porn, you're essentially condoning it. And anyone who looks at child porn obviously agree with it... Just think about supply and demand. If the person looking at porn has more consequence for being caught with child porn, they are less likely to have it. And if less people demand it, less will be supplied... Meaning less children will be abused... we can only hope.

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  weedkila at 08:32 PM JST - 20th May

  Japan is only doing this because of outside pressure or because they want a seat on the UN security council or some other such thing. Don't think for a minute that the politicians care about children (except their own of course.) They are always behind the rest of the world when it comes to stuff like this. Japan was extremely slow in implementing laws to protect children from prostitution. (again, outside pressure did it.)

  http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/commentary/20080131dy01.htm

  Among the G8 countries, Japan and Russia are the only two countries that do not criminalize the possession of child pornography.

  J. Thomas Schieffer U.S. Ambassador to Japan

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