{"id":50120,"date":"2025-07-17T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=50120"},"modified":"2025-07-16T16:21:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T07:21:25","slug":"japanese-political-party-wants-video-games-and-anime-to-be-put-under-state-authority-to-make-sure-theyre-wholesome-and-people-are-angry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-political-party-wants-video-games-and-anime-to-be-put-under-state-authority-to-make-sure-theyre-wholesome-and-people-are-angry\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese political party wants video games and anime to be put under state authority to make sure they\u2019re \u201cwholesome,\u201d and people are angry\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ahead of Japan\u2019s July 20 elections, a populist opposition party called Sanseito<\/em> has garnered much confusion and criticism from Japanese people online over proposed political measures related to video games, anime and manga. While Sanseito is a minority party, based on current forecasts<\/a>, it is expected to capture a significant number of seats in Japan\u2019s House of Councillors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On its official homepage<\/a>, Sanseito highlights Japan\u2019s entertainment industry (specifically anime, manga and video games) as a \u201ccore industry,\u201d that generates yearly revenue comparable to the country\u2019s semiconductor exports. Sanseito says that these forms of media \u201cgo beyond entertainment, becoming important tools for Japan\u2019s cultural diplomacy and international influence.\u201d As such, the party intends to support the industry\u2019s expansion through several measures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sanseito<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some of these proposed strategies are similar to what the government\u2019s Cool Japan initiative<\/a> has already been talking about in recent years \u2013 such as investing in the education of human resources, improving working conditions for creators and supporting businesses in entering the global market. However, there is one distinct point in Sanseito\u2019s strategy that\u2019s been causing an uproar. Their last proposed measure is \u201cDelegating authority to the Agency for Cultural Affairs to ensure the wholesome development of manga, anime, and games as culture, rather than judging their value based on economic rationale.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This statement has prompted criticism both for how ambiguous it is (not specifying what \u201cdelegating authority\u201d actually involves) and for how it suggests the state should be involved in monitoring how \u201cwholesome\u201d games and anime are. The latter is seen as a threat to freedom of expression by many Japanese commenters on X.\u00a0Y<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u30de\u30b8\u3067\u3053\u3093\u306a\u4e8b\u8a00\u3063\u3066\u3066\u771f\u9854\u306b\u306a\u3063\u305f\u308a\u3002
\u30af\u30ea\u30a8\u30a4\u30bf\u30fc\u3092\u4f55\u3060\u3068\u601d\u3063\u3066\u3093\u3060\u3088\u30b3\u30a4\u30c4\u3089\u3002 https:\/\/t.co\/EoKuIN06xU<\/a><\/p>— \u718a\u30ce\u7fc1 (@V7NnRqa0uZbvFqZ) July 16, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>