CNN the U.S. giant broadcasting station has broadcasted the problem of so called “Hentai Game” which has been criticized by right organizations for years. The news has emerged in the foreign media again, triggered by the sales of R18 Japanese PC game “rapelay” in Amazon.com.

Introducing the contents of Hentai Game like the rapelay, CNN reported the status quo that you can get the kind of game very easily in electronic quarter in Japan or download on the internet. In the interview of CNN, the interviewee of the woman right organization “Equality Now” said that “This kind of products ought not to be sold everywhere. I believe that Japanese government has responsibility to regulate the product sales domestically and on the internet, either.”

Also in the news CNN introduced the interview with British game fans saying that “the restriction only is not enough to resolve the problem. Actually it’s very difficult to regulate it completely on the internet. Parents should be responsible to keep kids from these harmful games. Governments or public organizations don’t have right to regulate the free of expression of the game creators.”

Reportedly Japanese government didn’t speak publicly about this problem.

日本のPC用18禁ゲーム「レイプレイ」が海外のAmazonで販売されていたのを発端に、人権団体などから抗議が相次ぎ、国内でも規制の動きが強まった一連の事件から既に1年以上が経過していますが、アメリカの大手放送局CNNが、この問題を再び取り上げて報道しています。

CNNは、「Hentai Game」としてレイプレイなどの成人向けゲームの内容を紹介し、日本の電気街やネット上のダウンロードでも簡単に入手できる現状を報告。インタビューを受けた女性人権団体Equality Nowの担当者は、「こうした商品は決してどこでも売られるべきではない、日本政府は国内とネット上で取り締まる役目がある」とする発言をしています。

また、「ただ規制するだけでは解決にならない」と指摘する英国ゲームファンの声も取材。「インターネット上のコンテンツを規制するのは困難で、子供を守るのは保護者の責任。政府や公共団体がゲームクリエイターの表現の自由を奪うべきではない」といった意見を述べています。
尚、CNNの取材に対し、日本政府はこの件に関して公式な回答をしなかったとのことです。

News Sauce: http://gs.inside-games.jp/news/226/22610.html

OPINION by FuangPing
“Discretion should be required”

I think there are two problems about this CNN news.
Firstly, CNN didn’t report that not all Hentai Game include serious sexual violence against women. There are so many so called “Hentai Games” which have romantic (?) and pure (?) love stories, at least, never offending and insulting women; like the products produced by August, Key, Circus, or maybe Type Moon. The media should have responsibility to report both sides of “fact”. The reporting was not seemingly fair.
Secondly, the commentator of women right organization said in the news that the game like “rapelay” would “normalize the extra sexual violence.” As a matter of fact, NEVER! Objectively thinking, almost all of the game players are sure that such extra sexual violence would NEVER be justified and acceptable in real life. Someone who would think the violence was no problem even in real life would be the innate criminal or aberration after all, without such a game.
However, I also think that the “appropriate” restriction is to be required, because some Hentai Games are absolutely harmful for young people, and offending women. That’s one of the facts. But the regulation should be taken discreetly, not to be rush or reckless like some right organizations propose. Even on such a Hentai Game a lot of game creator put their best efforts and imagination.