Japan to punish online insults with sentences of up to a year in prison for online harassment. The bill, approved by parliament in mid-June, will come into force tomorrow and provides for harsher penalties for those who insult other people. The new law provides for a maximum penalty of one year in prison or a fine of 300,000 yen (2,170 euros) for those found guilty.
New law passed after death Hana Kimurawrestler And Reality TV Star, Terrace housewho committed suicide in 2020. Kimura was bullied earlier that year when thousands of users launched racist insults and criticism because of the episode. 22 year old fighter he fell into a deep depression and committed suicide May 23, 2020, one day after posting the insults he received on social media.
The death of Hana Kimura sparked a red light in the Japanese government, which promised to speed up the debate and amend legislation. In April 2021, Parliament approved a bill on help victims identify their stalkers in an easier way. Prior to its adoption, the process of filing a claim against someone was tedious and involved several steps.
Legislators also promised to review the penalties. Until the last law the fine for insulting someone was 10,000 yen (72 euros) or 30 days in jail.. In the case of Hana Kimura, two men were fined 9,000 yen for harassing the actress. This sanction drew criticism, and the Legislative Council recommended that the Minister of Justice increase the penalties.
Japanese law would violate freedom of speech
The passage of this law is controversial, with some warning that may restrict freedom of expression. Opposition MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that any criticism of the government would be punishable. With this in mind, the Ministry of Justice determined that public humiliation of someone’s social status without reference to specific facts is considered an insult.
Legal experts say that the new law is ambiguousTherefore, it is necessary to define specific parameters for detecting and processing real harassment. After three years, the legislation will be reviewed to determine if it affects freedom of expression.
Japan is not the only country that punishes online insults. The United Kingdom has a law that punishes offensive media reporting.. Section 127 of the Communications Act, passed in 2003, provides for penalties of up to six months in prison for those who send “grossly offensive, obscene, indecent, or threatening messages.”
As in Japan, the law is somewhat ambiguous and treats offenses as improper use of the public electronic communications network. The most recent case is that of a man sentenced to 18 months of supervision for mocking the death of a soldier on Twitter.
Source: Hiper Textual
