NKDS

From ANN:

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A legislative proposal was submitted on February 24 to amend Metropolitan Tokyo’s youth welfare law on child pornography to include sexually provocative, “visual depictions” of characters who sound or appear to be 18 years old or younger. In addition to clauses that restrict the depictions of “nonexistent youths,” the amendment has clauses to restrict the Internet use of minors through filtering software and services in net cafés and on mobile phones.

According to a March 4 Twitter post of legislator Yukie Nogami, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly’s General Affairs Committee plans to deliberate on this proposal on March 18 and vote on it on March 19. If the proposal makes it out of the committee, it will face a vote by the entire assembly on March 30. If the assembly passes the legislation, it can go into effect as early as October 1.

Sources: ITmedia News, Mumei no Icchizaiseisaku Watcher blog via Canned Dogs blog

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From globalissues.org:

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- According to UNICEF, 25,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”

- Around 27-28 percent of all children in developing countries are estimated to be underweight or stunted. The two regions that account for the bulk of the deficit are South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

- If current trends continue, the Millennium Development Goals target of halving the proportion of underweight children will be missed by 30 million children, largely because of slow progress in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

- Based on enrolment data, about 72 million children of primary school age in the developing world were not in school in 2005; 57 per cent of them were girls. And these are regarded as optimisitic numbers.

- Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.

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Guys, something does not add up here. Why the heck is the Japanese government making legislation for the salvation of 2D children when they can do something about real kids that are suffering out there?

I have written about this issue before, and the basic stand is the same. If these policy makers have the time to make laws for 2D lolies and want any shred of credibility, they had better do something about the poverty of children in real life first.

It warms my heart to know that veteran manga-ka like Go Nagai are standing up against this sheer stupidity. As expected of the creator of Mazinger Z and Cutie Honey. My respect grows ever deeper for Nagai-sensei and all the other manga-ka who stood against this crap.

I do not have the power to rule a nation. But if I did, I sure as heck would not squander my power on trivial issues such as saving 2D lolies when there are real children out there who need to be saved. 

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.