Japan has imposed one year in prison and harsh sentences for insult and cyber bullying. The change came into effect on Thursday as a measure to curb online harassment and abuse.
The new Penal Code dramatically increases the penalty for online contempt to $ 2,200, which was previously less than $ 75 or just 30 days in prison. The contempt law was also amended from one year to three years.
The increase in fines came in May 2020 after Hannah Kemura, a 22-year-old professional wrestler and cast member of Netflix's popular reality TV show Terrace House. Kimura allegedly took his own life after receiving endless hate messages online.
Two men from Osaka and Fukui were found guilty and fined 9,000 yen ($ 66) for insulting a wrestler before his death. However, many argued that the penalties were too low, and that the update came in the form of legal contempt charges.
In October 2021, the Justice Ministry legislature advised Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa that punishments should be tougher. The proposed amendment was introduced during a session of the National Assembly this year and the bill was finally passed in the plenary session of the Senate on June 13.
At a press conference earlier this week, Furukawa said:
The imposition of harsher punishments was necessary because this legal assessment shows that (cyber bullying) is a crime that must be dealt with severely, and it acts as a deterrent.
He also stressed that the move would not amount to an "unjustified restriction on freedom of expression".
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