Tokyo's Vague 2D Loli Bill Not (That) Delayed

I'm sure we'll be writing about this one for a long time still, even if the bill in question isn't anywhere near as drastic and oppressive as England's recent anti-lolicon law, for instance. You know the one that criminalizes mere drawings and threatens otherwise harmless lolicons with up to 3 years in jail. By comparison, Tokyo's "nonexistent youths" bill would almost seem reasonable, were it not so vague and open to (miss)interpretation.



According to the Tokyo bill's initial draft, sexualized depictions of "nonexistent youths" (2D lolis, like in manga or anime) should be prohibited from being sold to minors. But the vague language used in that draft was so... well, vague, that no consensus has been reached in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly so far, and the bill has yet to face a vote. Last month, it looked as if the debate had been pushed all the way back to September 2010 "at the earliest".

Since then, however, several members of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) disputed the earlier report, saying that the bill may still be put to a vote as early as June 2010. Even though they themselves are opposed to the bill's current version - as are tons of manga and anime creators, naturally, who claim that the bill goes against freedom of expression.

Even more recently, the bill's most important supporter - Tokyo Governor Shintarou Ishihara - also acknowledged that the bill's vague language needs to be rewritten, in order to avoid misunderstanding. A prime example of this is the newly invented term "nonexistent youths", which could make people wonder "Are they talking about ghosts or something?" - from what Ishihara said at a press conference this Friday, according to a translated transcript.

Of course, we can only dream of a world where politicians would make any sense at all, and where they don't vote on issues they know next to nothing about. But until then, we're left with such inapt leaders as my own country's Finance Minister, who doesn't even know how to turn on a computer. Shitting you I am not.

Update: In other anti-lolicon news, Agnes Chan is an ignorant and/or lying old hag. Oh, wait, nothing new there!