The Communist Party
of Japan has reportedly created a “secret” form for its
members to report young adult manga to the United Nations. One user
reported finding the form as a QR code in the Shimbun Akahata, the daily
newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). The form asks
questions such as whether convenience stores sell adult magazines, and among
these it mentions seinen manga magazines for young adult men, such as Young Animal (where
“Berserk” is published).
The form included the
following introduction:
- « A previous three-day
survey (517 stores) conducted in late December showed that adult magazines
in convenience stores, which were assumed to have been eliminated through
our campaign and surveys, are back in many places. This time we
will conduct a nationwide survey. We will investigate whether adult
magazines that treat women as sexual objects are being placed in
convenience stores, which are used by everyone regardless of their gender
or age, and take the results to the convenience store's head office to
make a request. The results will be included in a report to the
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) ».
This
attempt to vilify adult anime and manga appears to partially contradict the
party's statements in 2021, where the Japanese Communist Party affirmed its
supposed commitment to "free expression" but expressed reservations
about how women are portrayed in works. creative. In attempting to provoke the
United Nations to comment on Japan's free speech policy, it evokes VICE's
attack on Japanese media that equated fanservice in manga and anime with child
abuse.
After Japanese social
media users discovered the JCP's “secret” survey, some pointed out the
irony of a historically repressed political party wanting to use its authority
to restrict free speech . And of course, there was no shortage of
comments:
- « Well, as many have
predicted, the suppression of the expression will easily surpass the
limits of “erotic magazines” and expand their reach. It is extremely
ironic that the person carrying out this “secret report” is a descendant
of a political party that was once persecuted by powerful institutions
before and during the war .
- « In the past, authorities
often mocked and imprisoned groups that were arbitrarily determined to be
anti-government, including the Communist Party. The fact that the
Communist Party does not even try to hide that it will report the matter
to the United Nations (using it as a reason for regulation) seems that the
cause and effect run too deep. Well, for starters, this kind of
“oppression” is a promise of communism .
- " Western Christian
conservatives would like it, as they consider manga degenerate enough to
side with the communists, which makes me dislike both and especially
dislike the communists ."
- « The Japanese Communist
Party embarrasses itself all the time with tricks like this: they are more
or less a meme party that has had no relevance since the 70s .»
- « The last thing I heard
is that the Japanese Communist Party is seen as a joke in Japan, I don't
think most people take it seriously, especially in this case .»
- « So how does this
increase his popularity among the Japanese voting population? ».
- " I'm sure they love
to ruin everything for a party made up of artists and poets ."
- " Communism and
censorship always go hand in hand ."
- " Somehow I feel like
tens of thousands of people on this app have been called conspiracy
theorists for suggesting that globalist organizations and communist
parties are in bed together ."
- « Suddenly I remember
Disco Elysium ».
- " The last time a
league of nations tried to tell Japan what to do, it didn't go very well ."
- " American communists
are doing pretty much the same thing right now in video games ."
- " Because? So the
operational officers have a list to help them survive among their own
slave children? Maybe something small to play out with his unwilling
captives? ».
Source: Togetter
