In Japan, insulting someone on social media can land you in jail

IN Japan, cyberbullying is taken very seriously. So much so that insulting someone online is now a crime punishable by a prison sentence and a hefty fine. However, in light of this new law, some people are warning of possible censorship.

Can Japan put an end to online insults? In the Land of the Rising Sun, online harassment is punishable by law and new, even tougher legislation has just been put in place.

From now on, offenders found guilty of making online insults can be sentenced to up to one year in jail and fined up to 300,000 yen, or $2,210. This is a toughening of penalties that previously included detention for up to 30 days and a fine of up to 10,000 yen, or $74.

Victims will also have more time to bring their cyberbullies to justice, with the statute of limitations on prosecution extended to three years, compared to one year previously.

The new policy was adopted after the death of Hana Kimura, a 22-year-old wrestler and participant in the Japanese reality show "Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020" on Netflix.

The young woman was the victim of intense cyberbullying that drove her to suicide in May 2020. In Japan, voices were raised following the very light sentences handed to two men accused of insulting the young celebrity before her death.

The Japanese Minister of Justice, Yoshihisa Furukawa, then called for a tightening of the laws against online harassment, echoed by the mother of Hana Kimura.

However, while this new law might help clamp down on cyberbullying, some have expressed fears over issues of legal censorship, preventing any criticism of politicians or other public figures.

This is an important point that will be analyzed in three years, when the law will be reviewed to see whether or not freedom of speech has been restricted.

"It's important to try to stamp out the kind of vicious insults that have sometimes even driven people to die," the Japanese Minister of Justice told the press at a news conference, insisting that the law was not intended to curtail freedom of speech. Time will tell....