Pixelation in Japan

A chief censor at the country's largest independent screening body of adult DVDs was arrested Saturday on suspicion of aiding and abetting the distribution of obscene material.

Four others, including presidents of three adult DVD production companies, also were held on suspicion of distributing the material, police said.

Katsumi Ono head of the Nihon Ethics of Video Association's screening department, was arrested on suspicion of assisting in the sale of two highly obscene DVDs, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The four others--including Hiroyuki Gorokawa association board member and president of h.m.p, an adult DVD production company were arrested on suspicion of distributing the two DVDs, the MPD said.

The association decided to relax screening standards at a board meeting in June 2006 after adult DVD production firms called on them to do so to help sales. With the police believing that the new criteria itself is likely to be illegal, it was to make inquiries as to the responsibility of other board members.

According to the police, Ono is suspected of letting the DVDs pass the screening by disregarding the fact that "mosaic" video effects intended to obscure sexual organs were easy to see through. There are differences in what is perceived as obscene, Ono reportedly told police in questioning.

The association decided at a board meeting to introduce a new standard to allow works with more transparent or smaller mosaics to pass the screening process after member companies made complaints in spring 2006, such as: [DVDs] won't sell if standards aren't relaxed.

Eight people are on the board, and the majority of them also occupy executive positions at the production firms that pushed for the new criteria.

The police were investigating a situation in which DVDs made by those production firms that advocated the new criteria have become a de facto indicator of screening standards.

Head of the screening department of the Nihon Ethics of Video Association (NEVA) Katsumi Ono was indicted last week on charges involving failure to screen two DVDs that did not comply with obscenity standards.

NEVA’s panel of scholars, former journalists and film experts screens adult videos produced by 90 Japanese production companies to determine if they comply with standards and regulations.

Ono was arrested, in the beginning of March, on suspicion of assisting the sale of the explicit DVDs after approving the videos. The movies, which were released in June 2006, were allegedly approved for sale without proper screening for potentially obscene content.

The two videos contained scenes showing genitalia which were pixellated, but according to authorities, viewers could still make out body parts.

Reportedly, three other men have also been indicted in the incident.