Regulating kids and Pocket Monsters

[Ono Seiko and Aaron Gerow]

For those of you who remember the Pocket Monster scare from December (in 
which about 750 children across Japan suffered seizures after watching 
bursts of light depicted in the popular TV animated show, _Pocket 
Monsters), NHK and the commercial networks agreed this week to standards 
designed to prevent such incidents from occuring in the future.  The 
scene in question, in which Pikachu (the most famous Pokemon, for those 
of you who have not happened to see his image grace about everything 
directed at kids in the last year) sends out bursts of red and blue light 
that rapidly alternate (about 24 times per second), featured a technique 
common in contemporary anime (called "pakapaka") and thus the decision to 
regulate the "problem" affects all of broadcast animation.

Basically, the TV networks agreed that 1) flashing images or lights would 
not flash more than 3 times per second; 2) for edits between light and 
dark images, or any other switch between light and dark images, these 
would not exceed more than 3 times per second; 3) producers would take 
care when using regulated patterns of light and dark.  They also agreed 
that they would work to inform viewers that "the preventative measure of 
watching TV in a lighted room from a distance of more than 2 meters is 
also necessary."  (In fact, I noticed on TV Tokyo last night that they 
broadcast such a warning as a superimposed title on screen during an 
animated program.  I don't know if they've broadcast it for non-animated 
shows, or for non-childrens shows.  Has anyone seen it elsewhere?)  The 
guidelines are supposed to cover not only anime, but commericals and all 
other programming.

TV Tokyo also announced it would further regulate the use of strong 
primary colors in flashing images.

The guidelines are partially based on regulations drawn up by British TV 
when a similar incident occured with a TV commerical.

This form of regulation of the image is a bit different from censorship 
(though much early regulation of film theaters place used the excuse of 
protecting the health of viewers to clamp down on the "pernicious" 
medium), but it does strike me as quite new to Japan.  Early film 
regulation did do things like establish theater codes (regulating 
seating, exits, air circulation, projection facilities, etc. to prevent 
fires), regulate lighting (demanding a certain level of light during 
projection to prevent eye strain), and in some cases control film speed 
(there were calls to prevent theaters from projecting at speeds as low as 
8 fps, which was not uncommon in the 1910s), all to protect the 
spectator's health.  But these were all directed at the space of viewing. 
 I don't recall any other form of regulation (either government or 
industry self-imposed) in the name of health that covered specific film 
techniques.  Can anyone think of one?  (Eirin doesn't have anything in 
its regulations to help it regulate such problems, which is one reason it 
refused to comment on Okuyama's use of "subliminal" effects in _Ranpo_ 
when some controversy stirred over that.)

Though it is a separate incident, recently one of the central government 
education committees issued a report placing some of the blame for recent 
violent incidents by youth on violent images in TV programs, video games, 
and movies, and called for the thorough study of introducing the V-chip 
system in Japan.  Both this and the Pokemon regulation, however, seem to 
reflect a growing concern that greater control of images is needed in 
order to control the bodies and minds of contemporary Japanese youth who 
are increasingly seen as unregulated and alien.



Aaron Gerow
Yokohama National University
KineJapan list owner
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