{"id":50657,"date":"2025-08-01T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=50657"},"modified":"2025-08-01T17:20:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T08:20:43","slug":"steam-and-itch-io-mustnt-succumb-to-unjust-pressure-with-no-legal-basis-japan-free-speech-organization-urges-amidst-mass-censorship-of-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/steam-and-itch-io-mustnt-succumb-to-unjust-pressure-with-no-legal-basis-japan-free-speech-organization-urges-amidst-mass-censorship-of-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Steam and itch.io \u201cmustn&#8217;t succumb to unjust pressure with no legal basis,\u201d Japan free speech organization urges amidst mass censorship of games\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>AFEE (Association for Freedom of Entertainment Expression) published a <a href=\"https:\/\/afee.jp\/2025\/07\/30\/14395\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> on July 30 addressing the <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/steam-rules-updated-to-prohibit-content-that-violates-rules-set-forth-by-payment-processors-and-banks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent wave of takedowns and deindexing of adult games<\/a> across digital distribution platforms like Steam and itch.io. In the letter, AFEE expresses support for the platforms and urges them not to succumb to the external pressure of activist groups and payment processors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Active since 2013, AFEE is an independent non-partisan political organization in Japan engaged in advocating for freedom of expression in entertainment media such as anime, manga and video games. The organization is advised by Taro Yamada, a member of the National Diet who has been <a href=\"https:\/\/taroyamada.info\/works\/7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">actively tackling the issue<\/a> of censorship of Japanese content by international payment processors since 2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its statement, AFEE comments, \u201camidst mounting moral pressure from activist groups and payment processors with no legal basis, it is extremely important for Steam and itch.io make efforts to defend content \u2013 this is vital for ensuring diversity of culture.\u201d They stress that the removal or delisting of content that\u2019s not in violation of laws is nothing other than \u201carbitrary censorship.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By suspending content that\u2019s legally sound, AFEE explains, platforms harm both creators and users. Game creators risk loss of opportunity (decreased revenue) and can suffer reputational damage (become labelled as creators of \u201cinappropriate\u201d content). On the other hand, consumers lose the freedom to access a diverse range of works.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jUal5f8zvr\">https:\/\/t.co\/jUal5f8zvr<\/a><\/p>&mdash; itch.io (@itchio) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/itchio\/status\/1948266771234140617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 24, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from urging Steam and itch.io to engage in transparent dialogue with users and avoid changing their policies to accommodate mass censorship, AFEE also suggests the use of regional restrictions to accommodate local laws. \u201cTo comply with the laws and respect cultures in each country or region, we ask platforms to make use of regional restrictions (e.g., country-specific age gates or tagging settings) so that as many users as possible can access legal content in their respective territories.\u201d This is likely a suggestion aimed at preventing certain works from being delisted worldwide due to legal issues limited to specific regions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In closing, AFEE states that it respects the efforts Steam and itch.io have dedicated to ensuring freedom of expression and safe access to adult content on their platforms. However, they \u201cstrongly urge that platforms resist unjust, non-legally based pressure, and uphold creators\u2019 freedom of expression and consumers\u2019 freedom of choice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned previously, Japan is no stranger to censorship caused by overseas payment processors. Before large international cases like Steam and itch.io, numerous Japanese platforms hosting <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/access-to-adult-pc-games-shut-down-on-major-japanese-online-retailer-amidst-discussions-with-payment-processors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adult games,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/nongaming-news\/japanese-manga-and-game-store-melonbooks-becomes-the-latest-japanese-platform-to-run-into-trouble-with-international-payment-processors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">comics<\/a>, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/credit-card-restrictions-are-spreading-even-to-japanese-platforms-for-womens-adult-content-including-audio-dramas-and-bl-doujinshi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gay audio dramas<\/a> have had VISA and Mastercard agreements one-sidedly terminated, resulting in loss of primary payment options and even <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/manga-library-z-is-launching-a-crowdfunding-campaign-to-reopen-after-credit-card-payments-were-suspended-on-the-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">closures<\/a> of said platforms. As the issue gains more worldwide traction, AFEE seems to be hoping that major platforms like Steam and itch.io will put up resistance to the groups pushing for mass video game censorship.\u00a0In the meantime, itch.io has named PayPal and Stripe as the cause of their troubles and is reportedly attempting to reach out to other payment platforms as alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related articles: <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/visa-japans-ceo-says-disabling-card-payment-for-legal-adult-content-is-necessary-to-protect-the-brand\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Visa Japan\u2019s CEO says disabling card payment for legal adult content is \u201cnecessary to protect the brand\u201d<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/award-winning-japanese-adult-game-developer-directly-hit-by-credit-card-restrictions-as-visa-payment-gets-suspended-on-their-web-store\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Award-winning Japanese adult game developer directly hit by credit card restrictions as VISA payment gets suspended on their web store<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In response to adult games being removed and hidden on Steam and itch.io en masse, Japan&#8217;s association for freedom of expression has published a statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":50658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-50657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Steam and itch.io \u201cmustn&#039;t succumb to unjust pressure with no legal basis,\u201d Japan free speech organization urges amidst mass censorship of games\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In response to adult games being removed and hidden on Steam and itch.io en masse, Japan&#039;s association for freedom of expression has published a statement.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/steam-and-itch-io-mustnt-succumb-to-unjust-pressure-with-no-legal-basis-japan-free-speech-organization-urges-amidst-mass-censorship-of-games\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Steam and itch.io \u201cmustn&#039;t succumb to unjust pressure with no legal basis,\u201d Japan free speech organization urges amidst mass censorship of games\u00a0 - 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Currently devoted to growing Automaton West to the size of its Japanese sister-site, while making sure to keep news concise and developer stories deep and stimulating.","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/author\/amber-vjestica\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50657"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50662,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50657\/revisions\/50662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}