TOKYO – Japan’s hugely popular manga industry is reporting increasing pressure from multinational credit card companies – many of which are based in the US and directly targeted by anti-porn crusades by religious conservatives – to censor their content to maintain their current payment processing arrangements.
A recent report from financial news site Nikkei Asia notes that manga retailers are now being told by payment service providers that they are “breaking the rules” set by US credit card brands.
“An executive at the retailer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were told that if they continued to use that card they could be fined up to hundreds of thousands of dollars per day,” Nikkei Asia reported.
In a scenario familiar to many porn industry companies and creators, the processor passing on the information did not disclose what the specific infringements were, leaving retailers to guess which of their content was being challenged.
Ultimately, according to the report, the retailer “had no choice but to stop accepting payments with a foreign credit card, even though the majority of their online payments were received that way.”
“We will have to reduce our platform’s dependence on adult content,” the executive told Nikkei Asia. “If we want to expand our market, we better adhere to global standards.”
Although some sources requested anonymity, Nikkei Asia identified popular, out-of-print online comic source Manga Library Z as one of the sites asked to censor their offerings or lose their ability to process payments.
Manga Library Z co-founder, manga artist Ken Akamatsu – who is also a lawmaker – explained that “Japan’s rich creative industries, including manga, anime and games, emerged from freedom of expression.”
He also noted that non-Japanese credit card companies are actively targeting manga, alongside producers and distributors of porn, known locally as AV video.
“The next request from card brands could be to ban novels or violent scenes altogether,” Akamatsu added. “Some say Japan should adhere to global standards. But if Japanese content becomes too global and loses its unique charm, it will also lose its appeal and demand from abroad.”
Like their American and international counterparts, legal scholars and free speech activists are citing the “chilling effect” these business practices can have on free speech about sexuality.
“If a particular genre of expression were to be removed due to potential damage to the reputation of card brands, it could lead to significant free speech harassment,” said law professor Yoko Shida.