The founder of Japanese video hosting site FC2, Riyo Takahashi, once ran unsuccessfully for election in Japan’s upper house.
His campaign platform was to “crush mosaic censorship,” referring to the pixellation that covers genitalia in Japanese porn to protect producers and retailers from prosecution under Japan’s obscenity law, which is usually interpreted as drawing the line at showing a penis or vagina. (This same logic is applied to nudity in mainstream movies too.)
Now Takahashi has been arrested by police in Japan when he returned to the country. The 51-year-old was arrested on November 7 by police at Kansai Airport when he came back to Japan from South Korea.
The charge is suspicion of violating the law against the display of obscene electromagnetic records through FC2. Specifically, it relates to the uploading of “obscene videos” on FC2 in Osaka in June 2013.
Boasting around 14 million users, FC2 is a website notorious (or perhaps, beloved) for hosting uncensored adult content. It has long attracted police attention. Takahashi launched the site in 1999.
The charge of displaying obscene electromagnetic records was also used previously to prosecute a man who employed AI to de-censor pixellated porn.
Takahashi has denied the charge, arguing that his company is based in the United States and so not bound by Japanese law.
However, around 95% of the content on FC2 is Japanese. Kyoto police believe that they can pursue this case because the content is managed by a Japanese corporate entity.
An arrest warrant was issued in 2015. Takahashi has long evaded the law by living overseas for around 10 years. He was put on an international wanted list at the request of Japanese police.
His exile abroad meant he was unable to attend his father’s funeral last year. It seems that Takahashi has finally returned to face the music to either clear his name or suck up the punishment, which is likely to be a suspended sentence if he shows remorse in court.
His younger brother, who was the CEO of FC2, was charged under the same law and received a sentence of 2.5 years, suspended for four years.
