“Violation Games Far More Dangerous Than Normal Porn”

Japan’s Koumeito party, long a member of the ruling coalition, has condemned adult games featuring sexual coercion and violence as being a highly negative influence on Japan’s tiny rates of sex crimes. They are calling for a ban or further restrictions on their sale.

As part of the deliberations of its “Project Team for Creating a Protective Rearing Environment for Children” it leapt on the anti-eroge bandwagon, offering a variety of baseless claims, such as: “There is a very good chance that the influence of violent sex games far exceeds that of regular pornography.”

They claimed that “research” into the influence of such r**e games is lagging in Japan, as compared to the English speaking world, well known as a bastion of child safety.

Their (foregone) conclusion was that the government must consider a ban or further restrictions on eroge in order to protect the children from their pernicious influence.

No evidence, scientific or otherwise, was presented in support of any of their claims.

As usual, a quick reproduction of actual international sex crime statistics demolishes their arguments, showing Japan to be amongst the safest countries in the world for children, along with perhaps being the one where pornography of all kinds is most abundant:

The party, a longtime ally of the ruling LDP, is well known as the political arm of the Sokka Gakkai, an influential Buddhist sect (or cult according to many), which counts such luminaries as Agnes Chan, the great crusader for the rights of imaginary children, amongst its members.

The party can usually be seen exhibiting fierce moralism in much the same way as Christian or Islamic groups elsewhere, though it has lately taken to denying it has anything to do with the religious organisation itself – strangely, its members just keep voting for them, every single election.

Minority moralist (whether feminist or religious) groups within Japan are busily attempting to portray Japan as a pariah state, based on the criticism of minority groups outside Japan, which is readily amplified by the mass media into “international opinion”; presumably they are hoping to pass yet more restrictive laws on pornography with the usual arguments of child protection.

With the adult industry in Japan apparently comprised of spineless cowards, it is not clear whether any serious opposition to these groups will be forthcoming…