How much editing is “enough”?
What I wrote here is not necessarily 100% correct or absolute truth, and I can also understand why some people believe NSFW works should remain more underground or low-profile.
These are simply my personal thoughts and feelings at the moment.
I’m speaking only as one creator, so please read this casually — more like something to scroll through while lying in bed than a serious political statement 😆
I wanted to release an NSFW Ominis x Aurellia book in September, but now we’re suddenly facing unexpected headwinds 😭
I may have to apply much heavier mosaic/editing than originally planned 😭😭
To briefly explain the situation, a major Japanese platform recently demanded stricter mosaic/editing requirements for all NSFW creators due to pressure/request from the government, and the standards were much harsher than expected. Since Japan already has laws that can be used as justification for this, creators basically have no choice but to comply if platforms tell us to edit more. A lot of artists are panicking right now and worrying that this may spread to other platforms too.
To explain the issue very simply from an artist’s perspective:
In Japan, drawing uncensored genitals is illegal, but it becomes “acceptable” if properly edited/censored. The problem is that what counts as “proper” editing is never clearly defined. In practice, the line between legal and illegal is often decided by social norms, customs, and the general atmosphere of the time.
And honestly, I don’t think laws adapting to changing social standards is inherently bad. That kind of interpretation is also why Japan has been able to crack down harder on things like robbery and harassment in recent years.
But laws against robbery exist to protect people’s lives and property.
So when it comes to fictional NSFW drawings, who exactly is being harmed? Whose rights are being violated?
We are not forcing explicit art onto unwilling viewers. People see it because they intentionally choose to access properly tagged and age-restricted content.
I think penalties for failing to properly separate adult content from general audiences are reasonable.
But I genuinely question whether banning uncensored fictional depictions themselves still makes sense in the modern internet era.
At this point, anyone can easily access uncensored pornography online through overseas websites anyway, so the idea that “adding mosaics suddenly makes something no longer obscene” feels increasingly disconnected from reality.
Ironically, in Japan, distributing uncensored fictional NSFW drawings can actually be punished more severely than publicly exposing yourself in real life 😂
Which honestly feels bizarre 😂
I also believe laws that can be applied unpredictably — almost like retroactive “gotcha” enforcement — should be reconsidered and clarified.
Legal reform will probably take a very long time, but I still hope things gradually move forward 😭
The more connected the world becomes, the more freedom we gain — and the more restrictions we inherit from one another too 😭
Even so, I still don’t want to give up on finding a place where creators can freely and safely create, and I don’t want to give up on protecting freedom of expression either 🔥
To be clear, this issue is not caused by Japanese law alone. Credit card company pressure and several other factors are also involved. I only spoke about the parts I felt comfortable discussing after doing at least some fact-checking and research on my side.
And honestly… I usually avoid talking about politics in creative spaces because my own political views are actually pretty strong and clear-cut 😆
But this situation directly affects creators, so I ended up talking about it anyway.
My head already hurts just thinking about all the additional editing I may have to do 😭😭😭
Personally, I still think Japan is an incredibly good country for doujin and fan creators in many ways. I truly hope it remains a place where freedom of expression can continue to exist.
At this rate, the only person who’ll ever get to see the incredibly high-effort 🍆 I spent hours drawing will be my best friend of over 10 years 😆
