Japan is tightening its laws on online content, publishing insults can now send those who launch them straight to prison.
Japanese authorities have decided to seriously tighten the regulations regarding online insults in the country. It must be said that the country of the Rising Sun remains shaken after the suicide in 2020 of the professional wrestler and star of reality TV Hana Kimura, when she was only 22 years old, following a deluge of hatred on the social networks. Two men behind the insults were sentenced to a simple fine of 65 euros each.
Penalties increased for online insults in Japan
Since this Thursday, July 7 in Japan, publishing insults online has become punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year, all thanks to a new law adopted, the entry into force of which takes a real step forward. severity in the country.
In addition to jail, the revised local Penal Code now provides that Japanese citizens guilty of online insults face the risk of a fine of up to 300,000 yen, or nearly 2,200 euros. Until now, the aggregate penalty could not exceed 10,000 yen (just over $70) and 30 days in prison. Finally, the legislator has increased from one year to three years the limitation period for insults launched on the Web.
In other words, the penalties have been more than revised upwards. The Japanese authorities took this decision in order to fight once and for all against cyber-harassment and cyber-violence, which can be devastating.
The law will be reviewed in three years, to judge its potential impact on freedom of expression
There is still an unknown around this new law on insults, which concerns the definition of insult. The text specifies that an insult consists in attacking a person, without evoking a specific fact about him, which is therefore different from defamation.
Simply calling a Japanese leader a fool could then be considered an insult.
The new law is due to be reviewed in three years, for a kind of progress report that will help determine whether the text has an impact on freedom of expression in the country – a point raised by opponents of the law. during the discussions.
Source : The Verge
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