Well, they are based in Tokyo so unfortunately they don't have any choice in the matter.

Sure they do. They could simply censor the games for their local audience in Japan, and also, at the same time, distribute the assets for the uncensored versions to their partners in every other country where their games are distributed.

There is no good reason to prevent them from doing that, yet they still don't.

As such, all of their games are unplayable, as the mosaic censorship totally wrecks them, even though it doesn't need to (outside of Japan).

If ARD says so, it must be true! +99% of games should not exist!

There is a good reason. If Japanese developers or publishers sell censored versions inside Japan and uncensored versions outside of Japan then Article 175 of the Criminal Code of Japan applies: https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3581/en

I also recommend to read this article here.

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-arrested-after-using-ai-to-'destroy'-censor-mosaics-in-japanese-adult-videos

Even the use of AI to remove the censored parts can get you in trouble there.

It doesn't seem like that would apply for content distributed outside of Japan.

And if it did, then how would you explain why JAST and mangagamer sell some VNs that were made in Japan, but which have had the mosaics removed from them in the versions that are sold on their platforms (and GOG also has some of those too)?

foad01

Even if you say that is the law what about the times hgames were made uncensored by giving them to publishers outside of japan where they uncensored them, giving okay from the japanese companies that they will take care of the translation and they got sent the uncensored version. This happened several times doubt that is the only law.
The only thing in such a case happens that japanese can't buy the version of the game without mosaics.

I think that someone needs to introduce ARD to the game LOGistICAL (on Steam.) It has 9,821 if you purchase all the DLC packs This should keep him busy for a while so that he can take a break from going into exterminate mode every time he sees a game without achievements.

Indeed, I believe Song of Saya and Dead End Aegis were both made in Japan and yet, they didn't have mosaics.

Here, I think this is a choice Shiravune is making not to have someone outside of Japan adapt their games.

Also, its not clear to me what this particular law is accomplishes to begin with. It seems rather dysfunctional to me. If it prevented the depiction of sex, I'd understand (I would disagree, but I would understand), but it clearly doesn't accomplish that. It just obscures a small part of what is depicted in a rather bizarre manner.

It seems unlikely that it will dissuade anyone who considers what they are seeing very interesting from performing their own private adaptation of the visualized content, assuming they manage to find a willing participant. They might have to figure out the blurred bit on their own if that is their only exposure so far, but thanks to biology doing what biology does, that's very unlikely to stop anyone.

Because it exists doesn't make it legal there. There is uncensored porn in Japan, but everyone involved there is risking getting arrested. This article describes such a case.

https://www.tokyoreporter.com/entertainment/adult-video/japans-av-industry-trembles-following-arrest-of-actress-yui-nishikawa/

The servers for the videos were hosted outside of Japan and the police arrested even an actress.

They have to make sure that these uncensored versions don't float around in Japan. Otherwise, they will get in trouble as in the example from above.

America not being #1 prudes. Shame!

Take a closer look at the publisher it is called "JAST USA" - same thing applies to Mangagamer. Problem stays the same: Japanese publishers will have to abide Japanese law.

I don't personally care, but doesn't Shiravune have several games far more desired than what GOGgers have gotten so far, like the Dungeon Travelers series? Maybe the site that is currently selling them wants to keep them exclusives to bring people in?

Indeed, they entered a relationship with an external publisher to adapt and sell their games abroad. Couldn't Shiravune have done the same?

No idea how complicated or expensive this would be ... but yes, you have a point here. Maybe they'll do so in the future.

That's great and all, but why nobody anounced Kara no Shoujo/The Shell coming here? It's one of their stronger titles, and both games came out without any announcement, even though the second part got released around the same time as everywhere else.