This week Japan is taking a rather drastic approach when it comes to online insults in hate, with a law being passed earlier in the year and coming into effect today.
The law will see any Japanese citizen who hurls online insults receive a fine of ¥300 000 (~R37 094), with punishment potentially rising to spending a full year in prison depending on the nature and severity of the incident.
Previously, such an offence would cost you either 30 days in jail or ¥10 000 (~R1 235), but now the Japanese government is ramping up its efforts in an aggressive manner.
While online abuse is not especially more prevalent in Japan than it is in other parts of the world, there have been a series of high profile incidents, some of which ended being fatal.
To that end the suicide of amateur wrestler and contestant on the popular reality series Terrace House, Hana Kimura, springs to mind, with Kimura choosing to take her own life following swathes of online abuse she received for her participation in the aforementioned series.
Whether this law will prevent such incidents is not something we can comment on, but there have already been critics to the proposed law as infringements to freedom of speech has been cited on several occasions.
To tally the full toll of this law’s impact, we will need to wait three years, as this is how long the Japanese government has given before its effect on freedom of speech will be assessed.
While there is indeed more online abuse than ever, especially with the popularity of social media platforms like Instagram that have been proven to create a negative self image in young women, bringing such sweeping laws to the fore may prove too strict a strategy.
Time will tell whether this law has the desired impact, but in the interim, it may be best to keep opinions to yourself when interacting online.
