Japan punishes itself with up to one year in prison for online bullying in the fight against cyberbullying. Measures to change the country’s penal code gained traction after Hannah Kimura, a 22-year-old professional wrestler and star of the Netflix reality show, did. house terrace, He committed suicide in 2020 after receiving a wave of hateful messages on social media.
Lawmakers approved changes to Japan’s criminal code earlier this week that resulted in a maximum sentence of one year in prison for the crime of “isolation” and 300,000 yen ($2,250) for the previous 30 days in prison and 10,000 yen ($2,250). 75) in custody. . In addition, the statute of limitations for the process was increased from one to three years. The changes will take effect in July.
Kimura’s death brought more attention to the issue of cyberbullying due to the apparent toxic nature of the violence in Japan he experienced. Two men who posted an insult on their social media shortly before their deaths: tweets like, “Does your life have any meaning?” And “Hey, when are you going to die?” – Last year, each of them was fined 9,000 yen.
The reality star’s mother, Kyoko Kimura, then launched a campaign to enforce Japan’s cyberbullying law and complained that her daughter’s abusers were being insufficiently punished.
“I want people to know that this is a crime,” Kyoko Kimura told a news conference in Tokyo earlier this week after the legislation was passed.
Insult in Japan is distinguished from slander in that the former involves publicly humiliating someone without referring to a specific situation or action.
Some lawmakers and lawyers in Japan have opposed the changes to the law, raising concerns that it could affect freedom of expression and impede legitimate criticism of politicians and public figures. To address this issue, an additional provision was added to the bill requiring a three-year review to assess the impact on freedom of expression.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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